Take Me Anywhere
by FireTurnsToAsh
Summary: It's been two years since Cook left Manchester, still on the run from the law and as desperate as ever to disappear. Everything was simple until he met her; Tess was the definition of the word mayhem. Can he survive in her world or can he pull her into his? Cook/OC/Luke. Rated T for now, may change to M later.
1. I: The Beginning

**Take Me Anywhere**

 **Summary:** It's been two years since Cook left Manchester, still on the run from the law and as desperate as ever to disappear. Everything was simple until he met her; Tess was the definition of the word mayhem. Can he survive in her world or can he pull her into his?

 **I: The Beginning**

* * *

 _One year ago..._

The flat he had been staying in was fine, nothing special. He had a couple of leaky pipes and when he put the heating on, the pipes rattled so loudly that it kept him up at night; but at least there was a roof over his head. He avoided trouble at all costs, he couldn't afford to go back to jail; he couldn't afford to be trialled for murder. London was too big for anyone to find him, he had disappeared once more, like he had been doing for years. He kept his head down, bought himself a taxi with the money he had from Manchester and did the occasional taxi run to keep himself ticking over. It was a simple life, it kept him out of harm's way; but it bored him. The only thing that stopped him from losing his mind was the girl that lived next door.

Tess was a breath of fresh air, when she wasn't at university or at her boyfriend's place, she would bring Cook round and make him something half decent to eat. She handed him a bowl of soup, homemade, and half a crusty roll as he flicked through the channels on her tiny TV. He glanced at her and steadied the bowl on his lap. "Ta, Tess. You not eating anything?"

"I'll get something later." She pulled her legs up to her chest and snatched the remote from Cook's grip.

"Don't turn that over, this is a good show."

"When you pay my TV license, then you can tell me what to watch." She changed the channel and rested her head on her hand.

"What's got you so wound up? Do you not want me to come over any more or something? I can make my own dinner you know."

"Cook, I don't mind you coming over, how else would I get my free taxi service?" she smiled a little and glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "Just eat your soup."

"Where are you heading to tonight?"

"Luke's club, he wants me to meet his mates." She ran her fingers through her hair and let out a breath. "But they're probably going to be a bunch of wankers. You should come with me, you could finally meet Luke."

"Partying's not really my thing no more."

"What're you scared of? There's nothing wrong with letting go once in a while. Please, Cook? I really want you to meet him."

He raised a brow at her and let out a sigh. "Fine, but only because this soup is awesome and if I said no, you wouldn't give me a second helping. What is it anyway?"

She grinned to herself and got onto her feet. "Butternut squash and sweet potato. I'm going to get ready, you can have the TV back."

"I forgot you girls need like a million hours to get ready."

She skipped towards her bedroom and called out to him. "A million at the least. There's still another bowl's worth in the pot. Help yourself."

* * *

'Imperial' was the hottest nightclub in Croydon and Cook never knew how Tess managed to meet the guy that owned it never mind date him. He knew very little about Luke except the tiny detail she told him; he was from Bristol too. She seemed to be smitten with him and as long as he kept his mate happy, then he'd have no problems with him.

He followed her up to the VIP area, watching her dance through the crowds of people with her drink raised in the air. "He's with me." She said to the bouncer at the top of the stairs as he pulled back the velvet rope. The upstairs was pretty much empty except for a round table of four guys and a barmaid that supplied them with their drinks. They wore flashy suits and kept themselves clean shaven; they were so different compared to Cook. He recognised the blonde guy that stood up from the table, he assumed that he was Luke by the way he slapped Tess' ass.

"Who's he?" Luke asked as he sank back into his seat, pulling Tess onto his lap.

When her skirt rode up her leg slightly, Cook noticed the end of a bruise on her thigh. "I'm Cook, Tess' mate." He took the empty seat beside the couple, his eyes flickering between Luke and the bruise.

Tess watched Cook and fixed her skirt. She seemed to be frazzled, she didn't want anyone, especially Cook to notice. "Are you playing cards?"

"Just finished a round, why don't you get yourself a drink and I'll deal your friend in?" he whispered something in her ear that made her blush.

She kissed him delicately and turned to Cook who was still watching her with a raised brow. "Do you want anything, Cook?"

"Just a pint, I'm your lift home, remember?"

"I can take the two of you home," Luke said as he shuffled the deck of cards with a smirk, "I don't drink."

"My car's here."

He shrugged and spread the cards across the table. "I own this place, just put the car round the back."

"We live next to each other, he doesn't mind taking me home, babe." She put her arms around his shoulders. "I'm sure you and your friends have some business to sort out when we leave anyway." She let her golden hair cover their faces as she placed another, more aggressive kiss on his mouth.

"Fine, but I'll be coming around to yours when I leave, so keep your door open." He bit his bottom lip as he looked up at her.

"Okay… I'm going to go get these drinks now." She stepped away from the table and mouthed to Cook, "Play nice."

* * *

"So why don't you drink? Is it just a lifestyle choice?" Cook asked as he leaned into his chair, staring down at the shit hand he was dealt.

"He gets angry when he drinks." One of Luke's friends said with a drunk leer.

Luke rolled his eyes towards him and just gave him a blank stare. "Getting drunk makes people sloppy. Makes them do things they regret," he glanced over his shoulder at Tess as she waited at the bar, "I like to stay sharp."

Cook rubbed the stubble on his lower jaw and shook his head.

"Do you disagree?"

He looked at Luke and scoffed at him. "Personally, I think that getting drunk makes you do the things you really want to do. The regret comes when you realise you've let go a little bit."

"Speaking from experience?" Luke leaned towards him and shook his finger at him. "I think I've finally placed your name and your face."

"I don't think so."

"You bought gear from a mate of mine back in the day."

Tess strolled over to the table and set the pint in front of Cook and took her space back on Luke's lap as she stirred her drink. "We all getting along?"

"Just peachy babe." Luke smirked as he wrapped one arm around her, pulling her closer to him.

Tess put her full glass on the table and sipped at the end of the other drink, watching Cook with an anxious look. "You okay, Cook?"

"Peachy." He played with the edges of his cards and kicked out his legs. "Are we going to play this game or just stare at each other all night?"

Luke let out a laugh, followed by his friends. He wagged his finger at Cook's direction and pulled a cigarette out from his top pocket. "I like him."

She gripped onto the full glass of double vodka and red bull and let out a quiet sigh of relief. Tess hated seeing Luke when he was pissed off and the last thing she wanted was for Cook to be on the receiving end of his temper. He was uncontrollable; a demon. She had saw him at his worst, first hand and his friends supplied her with plenty of stories about his ways when he worked in Morocco. She knocked back her drink and waved the barmaid over for another one as she watched them play; she had to drink to calm herself down, it was the only way she could survive in his world.

* * *

Trying to get Tess into her flat after the amount of booze she guzzled down was a difficult task that Cook had to do. She carried her heels in her hand as she tip toed up the cold, concrete steps. He looked down at her and scooped her up quickly, he was tired of watching her struggle.

"You look after me, don't you Cook?" she reached up and poked the bottom of his chin with her fingertip.

"We look after each other, we'll always look after each other." He looked down at her and nodded towards her front door. "You got the keys?"

She reached into her bag, almost spilling the contents onto the floor as she clawed her way to the bottom, pulling out her single key with multiple keyrings.

He switched on the lights with his elbow and took her into her bedroom, laying her down carefully on her shitty bed. "Get some sleep, your head will be splitting in the morning."

She clung onto his arm and pulled him down beside her. "Stay with me for a while."

"Luke will be coming to pay you a visit. I don't fancy having to explain to him why I'm in his girl's bed."

"Luke won't come here until the morning, I doubt he'll come at all." She sunk into her pillows and wiggled out of her tight dress. "He never comes around here."

Cook couldn't help but look at her body. She had little nicks and bruises all over her and when he saw the rest of the bruise on her thigh, he made a face. "Tess, how did you get them bruises?"

As soon as he mentioned marks on her skin, she pulled her duvet around herself and rolled over onto her side. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Did he do this to you?" when she didn't answer him he rolled her onto her back, propping her up against the headboard. "Tess, you need to tell me if he's beating ya."

She leaned up quickly and kissed him, just a sharp peck as she stared into his blue eyes. "Just leave it, please."

He was taken back by her kiss, it made his heart jump, but he shook off the thoughts that had got him in trouble before; he learned his lesson when it came to getting involved with a taken girl.

"You know where to find me when you want to talk about this."

* * *

The sun had just come up when Luke rolled into Tess' flat; she was waiting on him with a fuzzy head. She placed her hands on the sides of his face and leaned in as he wrapped his arms around her.

"What're you doing waiting up for me?" he placed his forehead against hers before kissing the top of her head.

"I slept, for a couple of hours." She closed her eyes and took in the scent of his sandalwood aftershave mixed with the smell of stale cigarette smoke. "Did you get everything sorted at the club?"

"That's actually why I came here." He let go of her and made his way over to her fridge. "I want to ask you to join my business."

"What do you want me to do? Be a barmaid?" she folded her arms across her chest and leaned against the arm of the sofa.

"Not that business," he glanced at her and took out her only bottle of milk, "the bit on the side. You're almost finished your finance degree, right?"

"Yeah, when I take my exams in the summer. Why?"

"I want you to keep the books for me because I haven't a clue. Maths is your thing, not mine." He took a swig of milk and wiped the top of his lip with the back of his hand. "What do you think? You're the only one I can trust to keep it right."

She placed her hand over her mouth, tapping her finger against her lips. "If you need me to do it, I'll happily keep records for you."

"I knew I could count on you, you're a good girl." He set down the bottle and stepped over to her, placing his hands on her hips, moving his hands down. When she made an almost silent wince he raised his brows. "Let me see the damage."

"It's not that bad, I'm just being a wimp." She dropped her head and pursed her lips.

He made her look at him and glared at her face. "Show me."

Slowly, she opened her robe, shrugging it off her frame. She kept her eyes on him as he crouched down and kissed every cut and bruise he had left on her slender body.

"You believed me, didn't you? When I said that I would never do that to you again."

"You were just messed up from the drink and the drugs," she whispered as he got to the biggest mark on her outer thigh, "you didn't mean to."

He placed his hand over the dark purple bit of skin and looked up at her. "It's you and me, Tess. It'll always be you and me, I'm never going to do this again."

She pulled him up onto his feet and wrapped her legs around his hips as he picked her up off the floor. She nodded at him even though she wasn't fully convinced. It was hard to let go of someone that you love, even if they were the reason you were hurting. Tess just had to figure out if she could continue living in fear of that side of Luke. He was danger personified.

* * *

 **A:N Thank you for taking the time to read this, hope you enjoyed this chapter. Next one coming soon!**


	2. II: Change

**Take Me Anywhere**

 **Summary:** It's been two years since Cook left Manchester, still on the run from the law and as desperate as ever to disappear. Everything was simple until he met her; Tess was the definition of the word mayhem. Can he survive in her world or can he pull her into his?

 **II: Change**

* * *

 _Now…_

Everything had changed. The routine that Cook had become so familiar with and the only person he trusted in this city was different. Tess didn't go to university anymore and she filled that time with Luke. Not a day went by that Cook didn't have to pass him on the stairwell and fake a smile to keep her happy. He didn't taxi her anymore, she had Luke and his fancy car for that. He didn't know what had changed with them, they seemed to be closer, but the walls were paper thin and most nights they either fucked or fought like cat and dog. It drove him crazy. That one, quick kiss they shared stirred something up inside him. They hadn't talked about it, but he could tell that sometimes she replayed it in her head. He knew that because she stopped inviting him over.

Cook tried to get over it, he couldn't walk around with a chip on his shoulder. She chose Luke and he was okay with that. He kept his mind off them with a string of random girls he met at local pubs and bars. Barmaids mostly. He could feel the hold he had over himself slipping. He wasn't the Cook that kept his head down and mouth shut anymore; he was starting to become the version of himself that he tried so hard to hide, but without Tess to keep him on track and talk his ear off, he couldn't focus on anything else but his decline.

* * *

He walked out to the back balcony, an open shirt on his shoulders, his pyjama bottoms loosely around his hips and a cigarette hanging from his mouth. He tried to light it, but the flame flickered and went out, over and over. He heard someone snickering at him and as he moved his gaze to the balcony beside him he saw Tess for the first time in weeks. She looked like a shadow of her former self; her tan was patchy, and she had her wavy blonde hair scraped back into a messy ponytail. She had one of Luke's shirts on and a pair of Converse on her feet. She lit her own cigarette and extended her arm and her lighter towards him. He took it with a raised brow.

"When did you start smoking?"

She shrugged and let out a puff of smoke. "A while ago. It's been ages since I've saw you."

"We live right next door, it's not like I'm hiding from you."

"You've just missed me walking past as you usher girls out of your flat." She smirked at him and leaned against the security railings. "Thought you weren't going to get yourself into trouble?"

"Where's the trouble in having a couple of mates?"

Her back door slid open and out popped Luke in nothing but his boxer shorts. He took the cigarette from Tess' mouth and pulled her into a kiss. When she pulled away he glanced over at Cook and nodded.

"Y'alright mate." Cook placed his hand on his hip as he looked him up and down.

"Yeah, good." He handed her back the cigarette and lit a fresh one. "Haven't saw you in a while."

"Been busy, mate."

"Taxiing was always a busy business." He smirked and pulled a face at Tess.

She smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear. "It was nice to see that you're still alive in there." She finished her cigarette then flicked it over the railings. "We've got that meeting in an hour, don't forget." She placed her hands on his stomach and kissed his shoulder before slipping back into her flat.

"Did you get Tess a job at the club?"

"Not at the club, just with some other business I'm taking care of." He placed his hand on the railing and let his teeth graze his bottom lip as he stared at Cook. "Fancy making some coin?"

"How much are we talking?"

"Depends how much gear you push for me." He raised a brow, almost daring Cook to take him up on his offer. "Interested?"

Cook didn't want to be a runner for another scumbag drug dealer, it got him into trouble the first time; but if Tess was caught up in this mess then he wanted to be close enough to keep an eye on her. She was a good girl, she should never have been brought into his business on the side. As he stared back at Luke he could tell that he was just as unhinged as Louie; he was more violent, he had heard that plenty of times through the walls. He was determined to protect Tess no matter what the costs; that's why he accepted his offer.

* * *

Luke was waiting for her in his office, she dressed up exactly like Luke wanted her to. He was in a suit and she wore a pencil skirt and heels. She sat on the edge of his desk and smile down at him as he put his hand on her knee.

"Are you excited for your first meeting?"

Tess pursed her lips together and nodded. "I'm just glad that you trust me enough to be here. I know that the world you're in can be dangerous."

He let out a quiet laugh and smirked at her. "It can be dangerous, you just have to be the worst to make it out alive." He leaned forward in his seat and reached up to touch her cheek. "We've been together for a while now, haven't we?"

"Just over a year." She said lowly.

He nodded at her and fell back into his chair. "I know that I can trust you, but if you want to be in business with me, I need my men to trust you. I hear them talking and they think you're just with me for the fancy cars and the parties." He got onto his feet and stood in between her legs.

"But I'm not with you for all of those things, I'm with you because I love you."

He placed his hand on the back of her head, stroking her long blonde hair as she stared into his eyes. "I know you do but I need you to do something to prove to me and my guys how much you love me."

Her heart felt like it was going a mile a minute and an uneasy feeling swept over her. "Anything."

He smiled and kissed her on the cheek. "This guy that's coming to meet with me, Jack Rutherford, he wants my life and I'm almost a hundred per cent sure he's going to try to kill me during this meeting."

"Why would he want you dead?"

"I kind of took some of his turf but business is business. What I'm going to ask you to do is a lot, but it would mean a lot to me if you did it for me."

"Whatever it is, I'll do it."

* * *

He reached into the drawer of his desk and handed her one of his ties. "It's just going to be you, me and Jack in the room and I'm not going to tell anyone. When he sits down in that chair," he pointed at the empty chair across from his, "I want you to make some tea and make him feel safe. Then I want you to take that tie and strangle him before he has the chance to do it to me."

Tess looked down at the tie and tried to catch her breath, what Luke was asking her to do, it was murder. He could see by her face that she wasn't so sure about his idea, so he put his finger under her chin and brought her face up to his. "I don't know if I can do this." Her eyes started to fill up and her bottom lip quivered.

"I love you, T but if you can't do this one simple thing for me, I can't have you around anymore. I can't choose you over my guys, they've been with me through thick and thin. If you can't stick by me through the thick, then we're over."

She wiped away the stray tear that rolled down her cheek and tried to get a hold of herself. "I'll do it. I'll kill him."

"Thank you, I knew you wouldn't abandon me." He kissed her sweetly and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Go get yourself a stiff drink, whatever you want from behind the bar."

"Do you want anything?" she whispered as she slid off the edge of the desk.

"A cuppa would be nice."

She nodded and stepped out of the room. Luke sank back into his leather chair with a grin on his face. She was going to prove herself to him, she was going to kill for him. He knew he had to compete with Cook for her affections, he wasn't blind, but she wasn't going to be able to choose Cook if she killed for him. Luke always won, and he was going to win the war for Tess' heart.

* * *

She stood behind the bar, her hands shaking as she poured herself a stiff vodka and coke. When the kettle went off behind her, she almost jumped out of her skin. She knew herself that she wasn't cut out for this life; drug dealing and organised crime wasn't what she wanted to do but she kept telling herself that she loved Luke. He was good to her now. He hadn't hit her in while, he was changing for her. She had to change for him. She downed her drink quickly and poured herself another drinking it just as fast. She could feel the numbness take over her body as she made Luke his tea just the way he liked it. Tess thought she was ready to do this deed for him. She had to be.

When Jack arrived, Tess was struck with fear. She kept close to Luke's side as she looked up at the tall, heavy man. His hair was slicked back, and he was dressed smartly. She could tell how much wealth he had by the way he was styled. He had two men with him that shadowed him like bodyguards; Jack probably went nowhere without them. A couple of Luke's runners stayed behind the bar, watching everyone as Luke stepped towards Jack, his hand out towards him.

"We had a deal," Jack said as he rejected Luke's handshake, "you're a rat."

"You understand how this business works better than anyone. How about we go up to my office and renegotiate terms. My assistant here," he looked over at Tess and gave her a quick wink, "she'll draw up a contract between the two of us."

Jack's eyes were all over Tess as she stood back, by herself. She felt so exposed.

"Fine," he turned to his men, "enjoy the bar. It's all on Luke as a gesture of good will."

Luke nodded with a smirk. "Of course, now if you don't mind, I'll take you upstairs to my office."

* * *

There was a long awkward silence as Luke and Jack stared at each other across the desk. Luke placed his hand on Tess' lower back and looked up at her. "Make the two of us tea please and bring over the contract."

Tess nodded and looked at Jack. "How do you like your tea Mr Rutherford?"

Jack laughed and shook his head. "Mr Rutherford? Did Luke tell you to call me that to try to impress me?"

"No, I just don't know what to call you other than Mr Rutherford."

"Jack's fine and I like my tea black."

Tess nodded and looked at Luke as she moved to the back of the room to make their tea.

"How'd you get yourself a little slice like that to work for you?" Jack leaned on the desk, staring straight at Luke.

"She's a smart girl, I needed someone to keep my accounts and she's someone I can trust."

"Watch out for her, smart bitches like that always have an ulterior motive. Take my word for it, I married and divorced three of them."

"I'll keep my eye on her, don't you worry."

* * *

Tess came back to the desk with two mugs and set them down in front of each of them. Under her arm she had the contract. She slid it towards Jack and stepped behind him to take the tie out from underneath her waistband.

"What kind of shit is this?" Jack said as he read over the contract. He leaned back with the mug in one of his hands and the contract in the other. "You want to keep control of the north side of Croydon, that's fair. That was our original arrangement. But the part you took from my side, you want to keep that?" Jack threw the contract towards him and took a sip of his hot tea. "I don't think so."

"If you can't keep a hold of two clubs and supply in demand to those partygoers then why keep it? I'm very capable of supplying what the people want."

"Oh, I can supply, and I'll be expecting that club back in my playing field."

Luke looked at Tess and then to Jack with a huge smile on his face. "I don't think so."

Tess wrapped the tie around Jack's neck and struggled against his force to choke him. When he tried to get up she dropped to her knees and pulled the tie tight.

"You see, coming here was a big mistake for you, Jack. Right now, your guys are downstairs with two of mine and they're probably drinking because the cost is on me. But my guys have laced their drinks with rat poison, because what is it that you like to call me?"

Jack was starting to lose air; his face was bright red, and he clawed at the tie, but Tess wasn't going to release her grip. Luke could hear her crying as Jack started to fade away, but he ignored it.

"You always thought I was a rat, jokes on you now because you were right." Luke took a sip of his tea and sat back down in his chair comfortably to watch his enemy's final breaths.

"You can let go of him now, T. He's dead."

She let go of the tie, but she stayed on the floor. She put her head into her hands, sobbing over what she had just done. Luke got onto his feet and crouched down beside her. He pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head.

"I'll take you home, but I can't stay. I have to get rid of these bodies. Do you want me to come around tonight?"

She shook her head and looked up at him. "Do what you've got to do, I'll be okay. I just need time to myself."

"Understandable. I appreciate what you've done for me." He got onto his feet and held his hands out towards her. When she took them, he pulled her up and kissed her on the forehead. "Let's get you home."

* * *

She was silent the whole way home, Luke was feeling much better than she was. Almost every song that came on the radio, he sang along to as he tapped on his steering wheel. He glanced over at her and cleared his throat. "I think it's time that I fully commit to you."

Tess looked at him and dried her eyes with the back of her hand. "What do you mean?"

"I want to meet your parents. What do you think?"

"Why do you want to meet my parents?"

"Well, they're going to be my future in laws, and I'll have to make a good impression on them." He parked outside her apartment building and turned in his seat to look at her. "You know that I want to marry you sometime in the future. I've told you that before."

"But this is so out of the blue. When my dad came to visit me last summer, you wouldn't meet him."

"I didn't know where we were going with our relationship then, but now I know that I want to spend my future with you. So, what do you think?"

"I'll ask him if he'll come down to meet you, but only if you're sure you want to."

"Of course. Go get some sleep, I'll be here around ten and we'll talk about it more."

"I'll see you then." She got out of the car and watched him speed off before running up the stairwell towards Cook's door.

* * *

He was sleeping peacefully when he was woken by frantic knocking at his door. He knew that there was only one person that it could be, so he jumped out of bed and ran towards his door, swinging it open to see Tess crying and hyperventilating. He pulled her inside and shut the door. He hugged her, letting her bury her head into him as she cried onto his chest.

"What did he do to you?" he whispered.

"You're going to hate me if I tell you, and I can't lose you."

"You're not going to lose me." He held her at arms-length and cleaned up her face with the bottom of his T-shirt.

"I shouldn't of even came to you, you were taxiing last night." She couldn't look him in the eyes, she felt so bad about what she did; she regretted letting Luke control her.

"Sit down and tell me what's got you so messed up." He watched her take a seat on his sofa and kick of her heels. Cook took the space beside her and took her hand. "Whatever you did, you can tell me."

"I killed someone, Cook." Her voice was so low that she barely heard herself.

"Who?"

"Some rival of Luke's. He asked me to do it, he said that he wouldn't be able to trust me if I didn't… That I couldn't be with him anymore if I didn't kill him." She put her hands over her face and shook her head. "I'm so stupid."

"You love him," the words were hard for Cook to say but he knew it was the truth, "and he manipulated you. Did anyone else see what you did?"

"No, it was just the three of us in the room."

"Where's the body?"

"Luke says he's going to sort it out."

Cook nodded and ran his fingers through his hair as he let out a sigh. "I can't see him letting anything slip; he was involved too, and he wouldn't let himself go down. And as much as I hate to admit it, he cares about you."

"I don't care that he cares about me. If he truly cared, he wouldn't have made me do it. I just don't know how I'm going to live with myself."

"I'm going to tell you something that I haven't told anyone."

Tess looked at him and shook her head. "I know how hard your past is for you, you don't need to tell me."

"But I want to. I've hid it from you for so long."

"Is this more stuff about Louie?"

"It was long before Louie. When I was a teenager in Bristol my best friend, Freddie was murdered by this psychiatrist. I knew he did it because Freddie disappeared, and I went into this guy's basement and found his bloody clothes."

"How did you kill him?"

"I beat him and beat him until he was covered, head to toe in blood. I was so filled with rage and I still am to this day. Part of me regrets it, I mean I've fucked up my life. But another part of me takes pride in what I did." He looked away from her and clasped his hands. "So, I know exactly what you're going through right now."

Tess leaned over to him and placed her hand over his. "Thank you for telling me what happened to you, I always knew you were struggling with something, but I always assumed it was what happened to you in Manchester."

He looked up at her, meeting her eyes. She had stopped crying and for a moment it seemed as if she had forgot about her sorrows and focused on his. "If you ever need me, Tess, I'll be there."

A wave of emotion flooded her, and it took her back to that night a year ago when she kissed him. She always had feelings for Cook, she couldn't deny it. She wouldn't deny it any longer. She moved closer to them until their faces were barely inches apart. She moved to kiss him, but he moved away.

"I can't, Tess." He said quietly. "You love him. You can't fuck with my head like this again."

"He's not good for me but you are."

"If he finds out, he'll hurt you."

"He can't ruin me as much as he already has."

She closed the distance again and kissed him before he could move away. He knew he shouldn't get sucked into the middle of another relationship, but it was Tess. He couldn't help himself.


	3. III: Mistake

**Take Me Anywhere**

 **Summary:** It's been two years since Cook left Manchester, still on the run from the law and as desperate as ever to disappear. Everything was simple until he met her; Tess was the definition of the word mayhem. Can he survive in her world or can he pull her into his?

 **III: Mistake**

* * *

Tess pulled away from Cook, she was now sitting on his lap with her hands on his face. She looked down at him and removed her hands from him. Cook sat up a little and cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry, I got carried away with ya."

"No, this is my fault. I shouldn't have acted on my impulse. The two of us were just upset, right?" her hands started to shake a little as she worried about Luke finding out about what she did.

"Tess, what's going on?" he grabbed onto her wrists and moved his head until she was looking at him.

"I shouldn't have come here, you're caught up in my shit now. If Luke finds out what we did, he'll kill you and then probably me." She squeezed her eyes shut and swallowed hard. "We have to keep this a secret."

"I wasn't really planning on telling him, Tess."

"But we can't act suspicious around him, if he even gets a hint about what we did,"

"Why don't you just break up with him and runaway with me? I'll take you anywhere you want to go." Cook looked at her seriously. He could tell she was caught off guard by his proposition; he was too. He had surprised himself.

"I can't put you in danger."

"I'm good at hiding. I've been doing it for a long time."

"If I broke up with him, he would squeal about what I did."

"Not when he's involved in so much crime. He's not that stupid."

Tess looked down at her hands and shook her head. "No, he wouldn't squeal. He'd probably come for me instead."

"Is he still hurting you?"

She shook her head again and ran her fingers through her hair. "He hasn't in a year. He made a promise to me. But I feel like if I provoked him that he would snap. He beat me up really badly last year, Cook. He would do worse."

"I know exactly what he did, I saw that bruise on your leg, the cuts on your body and I saw the way you tried to cover for him; he's got you brainwashed. That's why you did what you did; you've been beat down for a year. I hear the things he says to you. He should never speak to you like that."

"Cook, stop." She got off his lap and started to pace around his living room.

"It's the truth, Tess. You can't continue to live in denial."

"I'm not in denial, I have felt everything he's done or said to me. I don't forget, but I love him."

Cook got onto his feet and stood in front of her. "And what do you feel about me?"

She looked up at him. "I have strong feelings for you, I always have but I've been with Luke for over a year. I can't throw that away. When he's good to me, he's really good."

"I could be good to you to, just think about it."

"I know you could but I'm in too deep. He knows all my dark secrets and I know his. He'll ruin me, and I can't let that happen." A lone tear trickled from her eye and she wiped it away quickly. She covered her face with her hands and shook her head. "I shouldn't have come here, I shouldn't have got you involved in this." She jogged towards his door and mumbled, "I'm so sorry, Cook."

* * *

After his conversation with Tess, Cook knew that he had to push Luke to take him on. He had heard nothing since their conversation on the balcony and after what happened with Luke's rival, he guessed that Luke would need another runner. He got dressed quickly and jogged down to his taxi. He didn't know what he was letting himself in for but what he did know was that he was probably going to get himself into trouble. That terrified him deep down.

The Imperial hadn't changed much since that last time he was there. No one was at the bar setting up for that night and the club was as quiet as a graveyard. Cook walked around the lower level, taking everything in when he heard someone come out from upstairs.

"We're closed." Luke said from the top of the balcony.

"It's me, it's Cook. Tess' friend?"

"Cook, you're here for that runner job, aren't you?" he made his way down the stairs slowly. He had this sadistic smirk on his face. Cook wasn't surprised that he made Tess kill a man; he looked like a sociopath.

"Yeah, a bit of extra coin didn't hurt anyone." Cook placed his hands into his jacket pockets and nodded upstairs. "Shall we discuss terms."

Luke glanced towards his office and nodded. "C'mon up." He turned and went back up the stairs, glancing over his shoulder at Cook as he followed him up. "How many nights a week are you wanting to run for me?"

"I'll start with three for the time being. Just until I build up trusted clientele." Cook stepped into his office and the smell of bleach filled his nose. He watched Luke take a seat behind the desk and sat in front of him slowly.

"Three nights? That can work. I'll have Tess put you onto the roster." He leaned back into his chair and regarded the man in front of him. "Have you spoke to Tess today?"

Cook shook his head and raised a brow. "Why?"

"Just wanted to see how she was doing. She had to leave the meeting early, she wasn't feeling like herself."

"Well, I hope she's okay."

"Me too." Luke reached into a drawer in his desk and took out a couple of tiny bags, sliding them across to Cook. "We'll start you on these, see how you get on."

"And what cut would I be getting from this?" he inspected the pills for a second before putting them into his pocket.

"Thirty per cent, I know it sounds like a low percentage but think about it like this; one of those bags goes for a hundred, one pill goes for fifteen. If you sell all them bags a night and pick people that are looking for one or two pills max, then you'll be walking away with about a hundred and eighty a night."

"So, you're telling me that you want me to target people looking a high, not an addict."

"It's how we make our money. It's business."

Cook nodded and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his lap. "Then here's a business proposal, let me deal in your club."

Luke smirked and shrugged. "Pitch it to me."

"People at clubs are gagging for a pill, drink just doesn't cut it anymore. You mix drunk kids at your club and pills; it's money making itself, mate."

"And you've dealt in a club before?" when Cook nodded, Luke added, "And you can be incognito?"

"I'll fit right into the party."

Luke leaned across the desk and shook Cook's hand. "Then you can start tomorrow night."

Cook got onto his feet and fixed his jacket. "I look forward to doing business with you."

* * *

The next night came quickly and as Cook stepped out of his front door, Tess was waiting for him by the staircase, almost sucking her whole cigarette into her lungs. When she spotted him, she threw it down and marched over to him, her heels echoing in the concrete stairwell.

"You're dealing for Luke?" she whispered angrily.

"Listen, I'm only doing it to keep an eye on him. I don't trust the guy."

"Did you go to see him after I left last night?"

"Of course, I did and in case he asks you, you didn't come to see me."

"He already asked me this morning over text. He also told me that he wanted me at the club tonight, so he's probably got something planned."

"I could've told you that. Do you want a lift to the club?"

She shook her head and folded her arms across her chest. "He's coming to get me, so you should be gone by the time he gets here. If he even gets a little bit suspicious."

"I know." Cook placed his hand on her shoulder as he stepped past her. "See you there."

She turned around and watched him walk down the stairs and get into his car. She reached into her bag and took out a silver hip flask and one of Luke's little bags. Tess washed the pill down with some whiskey before straightening herself out. It was the only way for her to forget about Jack, if she didn't take the pills then she wouldn't be able to live with herself.

* * *

By the time Luke arrived outside her apartment building, her cocktail had started to take effect. She ran over to his car and slipped in with a smile. He rolled his eyes towards her and raised a brow.

"Someone's in a good mood. How're you feeling?"

"A lot better." She looked at him and tilted her head. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You've been drinking, I can smell it on you."

"It was one sip. I think you need to lighten up." She reached across and placed her hand on his lap. "I am fine, let's just get to the Imperial."

He kissed her quickly on the lips and rested back in his seat, still sceptical about her behaviour. "I thought that we could get a bit of time together tonight, have a little bit of fun and blow off some steam. After what happened yesterday, I think you deserve it."

"If I had of known I wasn't working tonight, I would've wore something more appropriate." She undone a couple of her shirt buttons and let her hair down. "I think this'll do."

Luke glanced over at her and shook his head with a smirk. "You're crazy, T."

"This is my night off, babe. You're going to be stuck on the dancefloor with me all night."

"We'll see about that."

* * *

When Luke and Tess got to the club, Cook was already working his rounds. He had found a couple of girls that took a shine to him and he was striking up a deal. He glanced over at Tess and felt a twinge of jealousy as she draped herself on his arm. He sold the pills and put the cash into his pocket before heading over to the bar and ordering himself a drink.

"You make that look so easy." The guy behind the bar said as he poured Cook's pint.

"Take it you're on Luke's pay grade?"

"Only behind the bar, but I know what he's doing. My brother, Mason is one of the runners." He handed him his pint and waved him off when he tried to pay for it. "This is on the house."

"Thanks man, what's your name?"

"My name's Kyle."

Cook took a sip and stepped away from the bar. "Thanks again." When he turned around, Tess was waiting behind him with a crisp twenty in between her fingers. "Excuse me." He said as he stepped around her.

She glanced over her shoulder at him, sighing to herself. She ordered her drink and played with one of the menus as she watched the barman. "Kyle, can I ask you a question?" she said as she leaned on the bar.

"Depends on what it is?" he got her a double vodka and took out a can of red bull from the fridge.

"Have you got anymore of them pills?" she said quietly as she poured her mixer into the spirit.

"I can get you more. Is everything okay with you? It's not like you to be on drugs. I mean I've never seen you have any interest in them."

"I'm okay, just having a bit of a rough time. You know where to drop the pills off?"

"Same place as last time?"

She nodded and handed over her money. "Just don't tell anyone."

"If Luke knew that I was getting you pills, he'd sack me on the spot." He placed a straw into her glass and handed it over to her with her change. "So, I don't think I'll be mentioning it anytime soon."

"Thank you, you're a good friend." She stepped away from the bar and took the straw out from the glass before necking it. She set the empty glass on an empty table and strolled over to Luke a little clumsily.

* * *

"What were you talking to Kyle about?" he asked as he placed his arm around her.

"Just small talk. You promised me a dance." She poked at his chest as she looked up at him.

"I didn't promise but if you want to dance…" he grinned as she pulled him into the dancefloor, pushing between the crowd to get to the middle. "You're going to get me hit."

"I know that you can handle yourself." She turned her back to him and started to grind against his leg.

He stared down at her and put his arm around her waist as he followed her movements. When she leaned back, wrapping her arm around his neck he kissed her cheek, moving his kiss towards her jaw. It had been a while since she enjoyed a night out with Luke and for a while it felt like it did at the beginning of their relationship. That was until someone came up to Luke and whispered something in his ear, whatever it was it made him pull away from Tess quickly.

"Where are you going?" she spun round and placed her hands on her hips.

"Trust me, I don't want to go but I'll be back in an hour." He kissed her, biting on her lower lip playfully then followed his friend through the crowd.

She watched him as he went up the stairs and towards his office. Whatever he was doing, it had to be important. He wouldn't ditch her on her night off over nothing. It was easier to tell herself that. She pushed through the hundreds of people again and made her way outside the club as she searched through her bag for her cigarettes. Once she got them she lit it up quickly and looked around her, seeing Cook lead a girl to his car. She couldn't even get angry at him, he wasn't hers to have; she was with Luke and he was single, he could do whatever he wanted. It was just hard to see him leave with someone.

* * *

As soon as she got back into the club, she strutted over to Mason and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around and raised a brow at her.

"What's got you all wound up?"

"First Luke ditched me, then I spotted Cook leaving. Is he done for the night?"

"He sold all his gear and gave me the money to give to Luke, so yeah, I'd say he's done."

She folded her arms across her chest and glanced towards the stairs. "Who's up there with Luke?"

He held his hands up and backed a way a little. "I'm not getting into that. What Luke's doing up there, he'll tell you in his own time."

"Even the name of the person up there just so it can put my mind at ease." She grabbed his arm and pleaded with her eyes.

"I heard Des say the name Frankie but that's it."

She breathed a sigh of relief and let him go. "Frankie, it's probably business then. Thank you, Mason. I appreciate it."

* * *

Cook followed his acquaintance's directions and found himself outside a house party. She got off the car and waved for him to follow. He followed the girl inside and picked up a half drank bottle of beer. "What's your name again?" she said as she headed towards the kitchen but before he could answer, someone called for her and she left. He followed the sound of the music into the living room and collapsed onto the sofa beside this guy with ink all up his arms. He sipped at the beer and glanced at the guy beside him.

"You alright there, mate?"

"I'm just a little blazed, it's no biggie." He reached into his pocket and handed him a badly rolled blunt. "Want a hit?"

Cook eyed it up and snatched it from him. "Thanks." He took a long drag of it before handing it back.

"You look like a lost soul, I can't tell if it's the weed talking or if I'm just a good judge of character, but something's eating at you."

Cook shook his head and leaned back into the chair. "I think it's just the weed."

"What's the harm in opening up? You're here, I'm here and no one else is bothering with us."

He rolled his eyes and sipped at the beer. "The girl I love is stuck in a bad relationship with a complete asshole and she ain't going to leave him. I just don't think I can stick around and watch her make stupid choices."

"Have you told this chick how you feel?"

Cook laughed a little and put his hands over his face. "That wouldn't help anything, it would just freak her out and push her closer to him."

"I don't know what to tell you, dude. I think you should just be there for her and let things fizzle out between them. I mean, is this guy dangerous?"

"For her, yes."

"Then she'll realise when she's ready. Just give it time."

Cook stared at the stranger and finished the bottle quickly. He knew that he was going to have to go back to the club, not tonight but eventually. He didn't want to but the whole reason he took Luke's job offer was to keep an eye on things; he had let his jealousy get in the way of the bigger picture. He had to keep Tess safe.

* * *

Luke eventually came back to Tess, she could tell that his mood had dipped, and it scared her a little. She placed her hands on his chest and pushed him towards a quiet corner of the club. He gripped her by the arms and tried to stop her, but he just gave in. When she put her arms around him, he mellowed out and placed his hand on the back of her head.

"What's going on, Luke? What's made you this pissed?"

"It was nothing, just something stupid. I shouldn't have left you alone down here."

She gave him a small smile and shrugged. "I'm fine, see?"

"You're really drunk. Your voice is all high pitched and you've spilt something on yourself." He smiled at her and kissed her gently on the forehead as he stroked her cheek with his fingertips. "But it's your night off and after what _you_ did, it's nice to see you let your hair down."

She grabbed him by the hand and played with his fingers. "You know the way you want to meet my dad?"

"Yeah?"

"I want one thing from you in exchange." Her eyes flickered up to his.

"Anything."

"Let me stay at your house. We've been together for over a year and you've never took me to your place. You want a future with me, so let me get to know you more."

He shook his head and pulled his hand away from her. "Not tonight, T."

"Are you hiding something from me?"

"It's complicated, you'll get upset and then I'll get upset… It's just not a good time."

She got closer to him and placed her hands on his cheeks. "I killed someone for you, I don't think anything else can upset me."

He watched her and gave into her slowly, stroking the back of her head. "When we get to my house, don't ask questions; I'll explain everything."

"How bad can it be?"


	4. IV: Family

**Take Me Anywhere**

 **Summary:** It's been two years since Cook left Manchester, still on the run from the law and as desperate as ever to disappear. Everything was simple until he met her; Tess was the definition of the word mayhem. Can he survive in her world or can he pull her into his?

 **IV: Family**

* * *

Luke's place was a lot bigger than her tiny apartment and it made her wonder why he chose to spend most of his time with her in her one bedroom flat. His home looked more like a small mansion than a house. She knew he made a lot of money, but not enough to afford a place like this. He parked the car outside the door and turned to her. He smiled as she gawked at his home.

"Was this what you were expecting?"

"Definitely not," she looked at him and shook her head, "I know exactly what you make through the club and the side business. How did you manage to get this place?"

"Morocco helped to pay for this." He got out of the car and waved for her to follow him.

"Why hide this place from me for so long?" she took his hand as he led her up the steps.

"It wasn't this place that I was hiding, it's what is inside." He unlocked the door and flicked on the lights.

Everything was pristine and white; she could tell that he had spent a lot of money decorating his home, but it didn't look the decorating skills of a young man. She walked further into the hallway and noticed a picture of a little boy with the same smile as Luke. She lifted the framed picture and turned to him, holding the picture out to him.

"Is that you?"

He took the picture from her and shook his head. "No, this is a picture of my son."

"You have a son?" she stepped over to him and looked at the picture one more time.

"You want a future with me, don't you?"

She nodded and kept her mouth shut.

"So, it's time that you know." He put the picture back where it belonged and walked further into the house. "Go get yourself changed, I'm going to get you some coffee to sober you up."

* * *

She watched him for a moment before slipping out of her heels, leaving them beside a pair of his trainers by the front door. Tess took her moment alone to go up stairs and explore his room. She opened one of his wardrobes and took out one of his shirts. She peeled her stained clothes off her body and put his shirt onto her frame. She left her clothes on top of a laundry hamper and looked over at a second wardrobe, wondering what was inside. But before she could investigate it, she felt his arm wrap around her.

"That shirt looks much better on you than it does on me." He kissed the nape of her neck and handed her a cup of coffee.

"I didn't hear you come up."

"I can be quiet, when I want to be." He left his room and went back down the stairs, waiting for her at the bottom. "I'm going to tell you everything about my son, come sit with me in the living room."

She tiptoed into the large living room and watched Luke turn on the electric fire as she sat on one of the white leather sofas. She noticed the hamper of toys in the corner of the room and tried to imagine Luke as a father. Was he really a good person deep down? Maybe he has changed… She had so many mixed emotions about this situation.

"Ask me anything you want, I'm sure your head is full of questions." He sat beside her and sipped at his coffee.

"What's your son's name?"

"Michael, he's three years old."

"Who is his mother?"

"My soon to be ex-wife. We've had a long divorce process." He said calmly.

"What's her name?"

"Frankie."

Tess looked away from him and blew at her scolding cup. "That's who came to the club tonight."

"Who told you that?"

"Doesn't matter. Why did she come to the club?"

"To reject my divorce settlements in person." He placed his arm around the back of the sofa. "Frankie is a deeply troubled girl, when I met you I knew I had to break things off with her."

"Why? If she was your wife, you had to of loved her. You had a kid with her."

"I did love her, a long time ago. We met when we were teenagers and things fizzled out. She contacted me four years ago and got pregnant. So, we got married quickly to keep her dads mouths shut, but I really should've had my head screwed on a bit better."

"Was I the reason why you left her?"

He reached over and grabbed her hand, rubbing the back of it softly with his thumb. "You were part of the reason. You made me realise that I didn't have any love for the girl anymore. She was also unhinged, a manic depressive. Our relationship wasn't good for either of us or Michael."

"Why keep it a secret from me for so long? Did you think that I was going to leave just because you had a child?"

"I should've known that you weren't like other girls, but yes I did. I was surprised that you stuck with me for so long, especially after everything I've put you through." He stared at her in silence for a while before placing his cup on the floor. "You make me so crazy, T. I would do anything for you and from what you've shown me, you would do the same for me."

"I'm going to be with you through the thick. Just like you wanted." Tess saw the vulnerable side of Luke and unfortunately for her, it pulled her in. She didn't know why she felt so sorry for him, but the picture he painted for her drew her closer to him. It was exactly what he wanted.

"Maybe someday you can meet him, when things get more serious between us."

"More serious? How serious can we get, we've been together for a year. I killed someone, for you."

"You have to understand that in my line of work, I have to be sure of people and especially with my love life, I have to know that you're going to be by my side when things get tough." He thought for a moment and tilted his head at her. "How about this, you let me meet your parents and I'll let you meet Michael."

"I'll call my dad and see when he can travel down, he lives up north."

"Does your dad live with your mum or are they separated?"

"I don't know who my mum is. It's always been my dad and I."

He squeezed her hand and threw her a semi-sympathetic look. "I'm sorry to hear that. I had no idea."

"I don't really talk about it, just like you are with your son, I have to really trust someone to tell them."

"Thank you for trusting me. I can't wait to meet the man that raised such an amazing girl." Luke let go of her hand and picked up his coffee cup. "Finish that off and I'll show you around the rest of the house."

"Can you show me in the morning? It's been a long day and I just want to go to bed."

A flicker of a smile appeared on his face as he got onto his feet. "Of course, come on, I'll get you an old T-shirt to wear instead of that shirt."

She got up and followed him back into his room, looking at all the pictures on the walls. That's when she came face to face with a picture of who she presumed to be Frankie. For someone to be in the middle of a divorce, why would he keep her pictures up on the walls? She didn't want to ask him any more questions, she thought it would only piss him off. She wasn't going to poke the lion in his own den; it would be foolish of her to do so.

* * *

The morning came far too quickly for Cook's liking. He woke up on the wrong side of a stranger's bed and as he looked down he noticed a naked girl beside him. Then he looked at himself and then to his clothes on the floor. He pressed his eyes shut and rubbed them with the palms of his hands before moving very slowly out of the double bed. He put on his jeans quietly and grabbed his shoes and his shirt from the floor. He needed to get out of this house but first he needed to find his car keys.

He snuck past a couple of passed out teenagers on the staircase and grabbed his keys from the table by the door. He had no recollection of how they got there, it didn't matter, he just needed to get home.

The roads were so quiet and as he looked at the time he realised why. It was barely past five in the morning and with any luck, Tess wouldn't have noticed that he didn't come home. He had no idea what their relationship was or if there was any chance of a relationship, but he couldn't be bothered with her questions. When he climbed the stairs and got to his door, he looked at her windows and noticed that her blinds weren't pulled. He looked inside and saw no sign of her or Luke and he breathed a sigh of relief. He was off the hook. He checked his phone as he unlocked his door and moved through to the balcony, lighting up a cigarette as he read through the messages he missed.

He got one message from Tess saying that she needed to talk to him, but she sent it last night before he left the club. If she wanted to talk to him, she had most of the night to. Thinking about what was going through Tess' head made Cook's spin. She never used to be this complicated, it only seemed to be since she earned Luke's trust. She was properly messed up and Cook felt like he was the only one that could help her. It put too much pressure on him. He wasn't her babysitter. The only way he could find out what she wanted was to call her.

* * *

"Cook, what are you doing calling me at this time of the morning?" she was whispering, he could just about hear her.

"Where are you?"

"I'm at Luke's house, currently hiding in his bathroom."

"What are you doing there? You've never really been there."

"You don't usually go to another girl's place, you usually take them to your flat."

"Do I sense a bit of jealousy?"

"No, you don't. You left me last night, you wouldn't even speak to me."

"We were trying to me normal, remember?"

"We are friends, Cook, everyone knows that. You hurt my feelings."

"You hurt mine when you picked him over me."

"It's not like that, it's complicated."

"I know, that's why I'm going to tell you now that our relationship from now until you break things off with him will be strictly plutonic. I can't keep putting my heart on the line for you to break it." He heard her gasp on the other end and then it sounded like she started to cry. "Tess?"

"I'm sorry, if I had of known that's how you felt… I'll stop making you feel like that… I'm sorry."

* * *

She put down her phone and leaned on the porcelain sink in his downstairs bathroom. She dried her eyes with a bit of toilet roll and lifted her bag up from the floor, digging through it for the last pill she had. She placed it in her mouth then tipped her head under the faucet, gulping it back hard. Tess couldn't cope with the person she was becoming. The longer she stuck with Luke, the more she could feel the old her dying; but it was too hard to walk away from him, especially with everything they had been through making her stay.

Tess started to feel the effects of that pill; it lifted her mood a lot more than she had expected it to, so, she got back into bed, lying on her side so that she could watch Luke while he was peaceful. He stirred in his sleep until he woke up, glancing up at her. He stretched and pushed himself up.

"What're you doing awake?"

"I felt a little bit sick from all the alcohol last night." She crawled over to him and sat on his lap, wrapping her legs around his waist.

"You're in a good mood this morning. It's not like you."

"What do you mean?"

"You're usually so grumpy when you wake up."

"Maybe it's the change of atmosphere or the fact that I slept on a mattress that wasn't lumpy." She smiled and pecked him on the lips. "Do you want breakfast?"

"What're you planning on making me?" he placed his hands on her lower back and licked his lips as he watched her.

"Whatever you want."

"Eggs, sunny side up."

"Your wish is my command." She ruffled his already messy hair and skipped out of his room, lingering for a moment at the door to watch him get out of bed. "By the way, don't put your clothes on just yet, we're not finished in here just yet."

* * *

Luke was still in his boxers when he strolled into the kitchen. He leaned on the counter across from Tess, watching her as she made breakfast for the two of them. He couldn't help but grin as he watched her be in her element. She looked so beautiful in the natural light, standing over the stove with her hair draped over her shoulder.

"I could get used to this, you know?"

"If you ever ask me to move in, you could have this every morning." She sang angelically.

"It's very tempting." He ran his hand along the marble counter top as he moved towards her before placing his hands on her shoulders. "But you'd have to have Michael's seal of approval."

"Kids love me."

"Probably not as much as I do."

She plated up his breakfast and turned around, handing him his plate. "I don't think so."

"You not eating anything?"

"I'm not hungry." She handed him a fork and nodded towards the dining table. "Go eat while I clean this up."

"I would really like to know who you are and what you've done with my Tess."

She filled the sink with hot water and shook her head. "Very funny. I was up a while before you woke up."

"How long?" he watched her as she scrubbed at a pan.

"Maybe an hour?"

"What did you do?"

"Texted my dad," she looked over at him, "watched you for a bit. Oh, and I used your washing machine to wash my clothes from last night."

He nodded and looked away from her. "Did your dad get back to you?"

"Yeah, he's actually close by for business purposes. He says he can come around tomorrow if that suits?"

"I'll make it suit. I'm not going to miss another opportunity to meet him."

She sat down beside him, drying off her hands on a tea towel. "I just have to warn you, he's a very serious man. He will be very blunt with you. He's ex-military."

"Is that supposed to scare me?" Luke raised a brow at her.

"It should, if he doesn't like you he'll make it known."

"Don't panic, your father and I will get on just fine."

"Will you take me home, so I can get the flat ready for him coming?"

"Right now?"

"No, not right this second," she ran her foot up his leg and rested her head on her hand, "I told you I wasn't finished with you yet. When I'm done then I'll leave."

He leaned back in his chair and put his fork on his plate. "I don't know what's got into you, but I like it." He got up and whisked her into his arms. "Let's see how good of a mood you're really in."

* * *

Everything was quiet until Tess got home. From her flat, Cook could hear banging and footsteps running back and forth. He didn't know if he should check up on her, he didn't want to confuse anything more between them, but he was going to be checking up on a friend. It's what they used to do before she kissed him. He knocked on the door and waited for her to answer.

"Cook?" she said as she continued to run around.

"Yeah, it's me."

"It's open."

He opened the door and stepped inside, the smell of air freshener and scented candles filled the air; the mix of everything caught him in the back of the throat. "What the hell are you doing?"

"My dad's coming tomorrow, and I have to clean this place. I've neglected it for long enough."

"Why didn't you tell me your dad was coming back? You know that me and him get on so well together."

"It was arranged this morning and I was going to tell you but then we had that conversation…"

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, if we start talking about it then I'll start crying and I won't be able to get anything ready for tomorrow."

"Are you okay? You don't seem like yourself."

"I'm fine. What is with you and Luke constantly questioning my good mood? Am I always a miserable cow or something?" she looked at him and ran her fingers through her hair.

"No, you're usually not this neurotic."

"I'm okay, really. I'm just worried because this is going to be the first time that Luke meets my dad and it's going to be make or break for us."

"Well, I hope it goes well."

"Are you not coming?"

Cook laughed a little. "You didn't invite me, remember?"

"I'm inviting you now. You have to be there."

He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "What time do you want me to come?"

"Lunchtime. Also, I have something to tell you and I need your advice."

Cook waved his hand at her and shook his head. "If it's about Luke, I don't want to know. I can't be involved in your relationship anymore."

"Does that mean that you're going to stop running for him?"

"No, I'm still going to be watching him, but I don't want to know every detail about your relationship. If he says anything to you or he hurts you, come to me straight away, but I don't need to know everything excruciating detail."

She nodded and started to clean her flat again. "Okay, I'll not tell you."

He watched her and let out a sigh. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, honestly it's fine. I'll just see you tomorrow at lunchtime." She glanced up at him and flashed him a quick and uneasy smile.

He backed away towards her door. "You definitely want me there?"

"I definitely want you there. Bye Cook."

He left her flat and stood outside, his arms still folded across his chest. There was something wrong with Tess, he couldn't put his finger on it, but he was going to get to the bottom of it.


	5. V: Make or Break

**Take Me Anywhere**

 **Summary:** It's been two years since Cook left Manchester, still on the run from the law and as desperate as ever to disappear. Everything was simple until he met her; Tess was the definition of the word mayhem. Can he survive in her world or can he pull her into his?

 **V: Make or Break**

* * *

Tess fixed Luke's tie anxiously as she heard her father's car door slam from five flights below them. The pills that Kyle gave her didn't always give her the same affect, these ones made her paranoid and on edge. Thoughts of her dad flying off the handle at Luke and the two of them at each other's throats played over and over in her imagination.

"T, my tie is fine," he put her hands over hers and stopped her fingers from fidgeting with his knot, "are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm just really nervous." She skittered towards her mirror and flattened down her hair with the palms of her hands. "This is make or break, my dad's opinion matters to me and I want you to make an amazing impression on him; also, just to let you know before Cook comes… They really like each other. He was my only friend here for a while."

Luke felt a pang of jealousy sweep over him, but he didn't let it show on his face, instead he just smiled at her and nodded. "I will knock your dad's socks off."

She jumped when she heard a knock at her door and placed her hand over her chest. "I hope so, cause he's here."

* * *

When she opened the door, Luke caught his first glimpse of the man that he hoped would be his future father-in-law. He was about six foot seven and built like a brickhouse. His bald head shone under the ceiling light and he was clean shaven, so close that there was no sign of stubble. He had a shirt on and from the buttons that were open, Luke could see the beginning of a massive chest tattoo. Compared to this man, Luke was nothing. He could see the facial similarities between the father and daughter, but apart from that, they were completely different.

"You must be Luke, _my_ Tess' boyfriend." He closed the space between them with one step and held out his large hand. "I'm Gerard, her father."

Luke took his hand and gave him a stiff handshake. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Gerard. Tess has told me so much about you."

"She's told me very little about you, so I hope you can fill in some of the gaps in her information." He turned to his daughter and put his arm around her, pulling her into his side. "Where's Cook? We need a catch up."

"I told him to come around lunch, just so that you and Luke could have plenty of time to get to know each other." She smiled a little, her eyes flitting towards Luke. "So, dad… How's Miranda and Samantha?"

"Miranda's good and it's Samantha's second birthday at the weekend. You know, you should really come up and see her. You're her big sister."

"I've been busy, dad. I'll send a card up to her." She glanced over at Luke as he placed his hands in his pockets. The way he was looking at her, the confusion in his eyes, it made her uncomfortable. "I'll make us some tea and coffee. Make yourselves comfortable." She stepped out into her kitchen, her hand over her mouth.

"I didn't know that T had a sister." Luke said as he took a seat.

"I'm sure there's plenty that you don't know about her."

Luke nodded a little and crossed one leg over the other. "You're right, I don't but I plan on sticking around because she is an amazing girl. She's a lot more than I deserve, and I don't know why she's chose to be with me. I'm thankful for that."

Gerard took a seat on the opposite end of the sofa and looked at Luke with a cold and bland expression. He was clearly unenthusiastic by who his daughter picked as a partner. "You know what Luke, you just said something very true… I don't know why she chose to be with you either because she does deserve a lot better than what she's got."

* * *

Luke's face dropped from the confident smirk he had almost permanently on his face. He was letting his temper get the better of him but before he was going to let it loose, Tess came back into the living room, struggling with three cups in her hands. Gerard got off his seat and went to help her, Luke didn't listen to whatever he mumbled as he walked past him. He knew that if he lashed out in front of her father, Tess would break up with him and he didn't want that. He did love her.

"Luke?" Tess placed her hand on his and gave him a comforting smile. He snapped out of his daydream and looked at her with his brows raised. "My dad asked how we met."

"I assume it was at your nightclub, although I don't think that Tess is the kind of girl that frequented clubs; at least she wasn't when she first moved here."

"No, we didn't meet at my club. We met at a park in the centre of Croydon last summer. We didn't start dating for a little while after that though."

"I assume that she was drawn in by the lavish lifestyle that you offered her." Gerard took a sip of his tea and glanced at Tess. "I wouldn't blame her for that."

"I had no idea that Luke had money when I met him or when I started dating him, dad. Anytime I went to visit him once we became official, it was always at a little flat around the corner from his club."

"Well now I'm definitely curious. How did the two of you meet at this park?"

Luke looked down at Tess and smiled as they shared a look. "I was out for a jog and she was sitting on one of the benches writing a paper for her degree. As I was jogging past her I tripped on something and went down hard. When she came over to help me and I looked at her… I thought she was the most beautiful person I'd ever seen."

"We talked for a while, didn't we? Went and got some coffee in a little café and exchanged numbers."

"We kept in touch, I was far too busy to be dating and then when a little bit of free time opened up, I plucked up the courage to ask her out."

Gerard looked at the two of them and cleared his throat. "Very touching. I just hope that you don't get my daughter into trouble. I know that being a club owner can be very dangerous work."

Luke looked at Gerard and instantly knew that he her father had a suspicion about his side business. "I will always keep her safe."

The two men stared at each other for a moment, almost daring each other to say something when there was a knock at the door. Tess sprung onto her feet and placed her cup on the floor.

"That'll be Cook."

"I'm going for a cigarette." Luke got onto his feet and disappeared out to her balcony.

"I'll get the door, you go have a smoke." He looked at her and patted her shoulder. "I need to have a catch up with Cook anyway."

"How did you know that I smoke?" she folded her arms and waited for a lecture.

"The smell of stale smoke is all over you. But you're a big girl now you can make your own decisions."

She watched him as he stepped towards the front door and smiled a little to herself. As she walked towards her back door, she said, "Thanks dad, for not shouting at me."

* * *

Cook turned around as the front door opened and saw Gerard standing in front of him. He stepped back as he left Tess' flat and moved towards the railings, gripping onto them. Cook offered him a cigarette but he declined.

"It's nice to see you again, Cook. I'm glad to see that you haven't given up hope on Tess."

"She's my best friend, well she's my only friend," he placed the cigarette in his mouth and lit it up, "I'll never give up on her."

"Thank you for filling me in about Luke. I can't believe that he's sucked Tess into his lifestyle. The partying, the drugs and the _murder_." He gripped onto the steel and shook his head.

"When I found out what he made her do, I knew that I had to get in on his little business on the side. I never planned on getting myself sucked back into that lifestyle, but someone has to look out for her on the inside." Cook stood beside him and looked down at the ground below them. "There's something going on with her, I haven't been able to get to the bottom of it. She's acting strange."

"I noticed that too, she seems very skittish today. Can you ask her what's going on, she's more likely to tell you than me?" Gerard looked at Cook with pleading eyes; he was a father desperate for his daughter to get out of whatever trouble she was in.

"I'm going to be honest with you, I love Tess and when she rejected me for Luke… I did some stupid things and I told her that I didn't want to know anything about their relationship."

"Don't give up on her, please. She needs someone like you, somebody that'll look after her when I can't. Tess has such a good soul and I think that's why she's still stuck in this relationship; she sees the good in him. She still sees the good in you. I mean that's why she invited you to spend the day with us."

Cook threw his cigarette butt over the railing and glanced towards the door. "I'll do a bit of digging, I know that if I ask her outright she'll deny things. I asked her why she was being weird yesterday, but she denied everything, freaked out at me and that's not like her. I'll keep you informed of what I find."

For the first time since getting to Tess' flat, Gerard smiled. "You're a good man, Cook."

"I'm trying to be anyway."

* * *

Out on the balcony, the two of them were away from prying eyes. As Luke smoked his second cigarette, Tess kept herself close to him, tracing small circles on his chest as she stared up at him. She could tell that he didn't like her father, he was a hard man to like. She knew that herself. Tess just wished that the two men would get along. He glimpsed down at her and kissed the top of her head.

"You okay, T?"

"Yeah, I was just thinking. What do you think of my dad?"

"He's going to be a hard man to crack, but if Cook can do it, so can I."

Tess rolled her eyes playfully and rested her head on his chest. "My dad likes Cook because he isn't fucking his daughter. He'll come around to you when he sees how happy I am with you."

"And how happy are you with me?" when she made eye contact with him, a warm feeling filled his heart; it had been a long time since he felt like that, the only person that made him feel proper love was his son.

"I'm very happy with you." She reached up and stroked his cheek with her fingertips.

He finished his cigarette and grabbed both of her hands. "I want you to come to my house once we have lunch with your dad. Tomorrow morning before he goes home, we'll have breakfast at mine. I want him to see exactly how happy you are. Will you come?"

"Of course, I will." She kissed him sweetly on his mouth. "We better get to lunch before it becomes dinner time."

He nodded and dropped his cigarette onto the floor, putting it out with the heel of his shoe. "I'll take your dad to the restaurant in my car, you go with Cook. I think your dad and I may have gotten off on the wrong foot."

"That's fine, I'll just go out and tell him the arrangements, go get your jacket." She kissed him one more time before she went out to the other two men in her life.

* * *

"Hi Cook." She said meekly as she put her arm around her father's.

"Tess, you okay?" he asked with a raised brow.

She nodded at him and looked up at her dad. "Luke wants the two of you to go in his car and for Cook to take me. He says he wants to fix whatever it is going on between you."

Gerard laughed under his breath and shook his head. "He can try."

"Dad, please just try to be nice to him. I know you don't like him, he knows you don't like him but please just be civil for me." She glanced at Cook as he stood with his hands in his jacket pockets. "I love him."

Cook had heard her say those words before, but when she said them to her father; it hurt a little more. He couldn't really hide it either. Gerard saw the look on his face from the corner of his eye and just nodded at her. Luke came out of the flat and locked the door, as he handed her the keys he placed his hand on Cook's shoulder.

"Afternoon Cook. Are we ready to go?"

"Yeah, we're ready." Gerard said as he slipped his arm out of Tess' grasp.

Luke kissed the side of Tess' head and whispered to her, "I'll see you at the restaurant."

She watched the two of them walk to Luke's car in silence and turned to Cook. "Are you okay driving with me?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because we haven't had the chance to speak about that phone call yesterday." She started to walk slowly down the stairs, Cook closely beside her.

"We don't need to talk about it, everything is fine between us. I've told you my feelings and I've told you that we're plutonic until you break things off with Luke." He shrugged a little and took his car keys from his pocket. "If you break things off with him."

"But I haven't got to tell you how I feel." She stood by the door of his car and when he unlocked it, she slipped into the passenger seat.

"Then tell me how you feel." As he started the car he met her eyes and saw how torn she was. He felt sorry for her, but she made this mess for herself. He gave her the option to run with him.

"Do you remember when we first became friends? I had such a huge crush on you and I made it obvious, I didn't act on it for a long time, but you knew. And you told me that you didn't like me like that, we were just friends."

"Tess, there's a lot that you don't know about my past. There's a lot that I'm not going to tell you either." He started to drive off, following Luke's car out of the car park. "I said those things to stop you from thinking about me like that because trust me, I've fancied you for a long time."

"So why didn't you act on it? Why didn't you say something to me before I got involved with Luke? Why did you wait until I fell for him before you reciprocated my feelings?"

"Because the people that get too involved with me end up dead. I care about you too much to let anything bad happen to you."

"Nothing would've happened to me."

"You don't know that, I don't know that. But when I heard what he was doing to you and saw the way you were acting, I knew that I was wrong. Then you kissed me twice and that messed with my plan to just be your friend."

"I just wish that you would've told me a long time ago how you actually felt. It would've saved us from making a mess."

"Trust me, if I could go back in time and tell you then and there that I had feelings for you, I would."

"So, there's no bad feelings between us?" she looked at him with a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

"There'll never be bad feelings between us."

* * *

Luke and Gerard were waiting for them when they pulled into a space outside the restaurant. It looked like they were engaging in small talk, but Tess could tell from her father's face that he still wasn't one hundred per cent sold on Luke. She got out of the car and strolled towards them, slipping her hand into Luke's. He gave her hand a comforting squeeze and glanced over at Cook.

"Are we all getting along?" she said in a teasing tone.

"We're just peachy, aren't we Gerard?" Luke said with a slightly annoyed tone.

He made a noise and went into the restaurant, Cook just after him.

"What happened?" Tess crossed her arms and raised her brow at Luke.

"Nothing you need to worry about. Come on, let's eat. I'm starving."

He lead Tess into the restaurant and pulled out an empty chair across from her father for her. He took the empty one beside her and looked over the menu. They all sat in silence as they read over their menus. The only time they spoke was when a waiter came to take their orders but once the orders were complete, they went back into silence.

* * *

"So, Gerard. What is it that you do for a living now that you're no longer in the army?" Luke said as he took a sip from his drink.

"I'm an auditor. I go around different places up and down the country to make sure that standards are met. Maybe I'll come by the club some day to make sure everything's above board."

"I'd like that, we keep everything up to a high standard, don't we T?" he smiled at her. "Tess' standards are very high and that's why she takes a managerial role of sorts around the club."

She looked at her dad and rested her head on her hand. "I keep the books and make sure that everyone does their jobs when Luke's not at the club."

"I hope you're paid well."

"It's a good job with great benefits." She replied as she played with the straw in her cocktail.

"And what are those benefits? I don't really see how managing a club on the odd occasion gets you great benefits." Gerard leaned back into his chair as their waiter placed their orders in front of them.

Tess just stared at her father in silence. She didn't know what to say, anything that she could say would set him off. "All I wanted was a nice meal with the people I care about most and you can't even play nice for one afternoon."

"I think it's best if you just kept your cool, Gerard," Cook said as he raised a brow at him, "Tess has a lot on her plate."

He looked at Cook and nodded. "You're right, I'm sorry Tess. I'll play nice."

Luke screwed up his face as he looked between Cook and Gerard, he was bothered by their relationship; it made it very clear to him that Cook was going to be bigger competition than he thought.

Tess reached over the table and took her father's hand. "Thanks dad."


	6. VI: Surprise

**Take Me Anywhere**

 **Summary:** It's been two years since Cook left Manchester, still on the run from the law and as desperate as ever to disappear. Everything was simple until he met her; Tess was the definition of the word mayhem. Can he survive in her world or can he pull her into his?

 **VI: Surprise**

* * *

Lunch wasn't as big of a disaster after Tess expressed her feelings to her father so, she was in a good mood when she got to Luke's and she didn't need the pills for a change to lift her mood. She set her stuff down at the front door and sat on the staircase as she unbuckled the strap of her heels. Luke locked his car door and stepped into his house, smiling down at Tess as he watched her. She raised her brow at him and put her shoes neatly on the floor. The tile was cold underneath her soles as she tip toed towards him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She leaned into him as she felt his hands creep from her back down to her hips.

"Well, you've got what you wanted, you met my dad. I was thinking that maybe I could meet Michael?"

"Soon. He's out of the country with Frankie for a couple of weeks but when he comes back, you can meet him." He let go of her and shrugged his jacket off his shoulders and hung it on the banister.

"Why did she take him out of the country?" Tess followed Luke into the kitchen and took a seat at the breakfast bar as she watched him brew a couple of teas.

"It's her reaction to the divorce settlements. I obviously want full custody because I bring in the money and she wasn't buying it." He kept his back to Tess as he boiled the kettle and leaned on the marble counter tops. "But it's nothing to worry about."

"You know, if you need me to do anything to help you,"

"You can't do anything to help, but I know that if you could, you would." He handed her the warm cup and stood in front of her, the island counter between them.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

"Would you ever want to give Michael siblings? I don't mean right this instant but in ten years' time."

Luke looked down at his cup before closing his eyes. "I'm going to be real with you, T. I didn't want a kid, ever. Having a family in my line of work is a weakness. Right now, I've got two, you and him, I wouldn't change it for the world, but I don't want another weakness for my enemies to exploit." He returned his gaze back to her and tilted his head. "Is that a deal breaker for you?"

She shook her head and bit her bottom lip. "No, but you're not going to be a drug dealer for the rest of your life, are you?"

"Why not? It's good money. Think of it like this, if we had lots of kids running around, we wouldn't be able to enjoy our cash. We couldn't go on holidays when we want or buy whatever flashy car we want. Kids make you press pause on ambition."

"Michael hasn't stopped you from getting to where you are."

He leaned in closer towards her, his body pressed hard against the counter. "If I didn't have Michael, I could be controlling the whole of Croydon and have another couple of clubs under my belt. But as I said, I wouldn't change him for the world." One of his eyes squinted over as he regarded his girlfriend. "You're not pregnant, are you?"

She smiled and shook her head. "No, I just wanted to know what our future could be like; I would just rather know before we got in too deep."

"I'll ask you one last time, just to make sure that you're completely in this… Is this going to be a problem for you?"

She sipped at her tea and shook her head. "I'm not deterred by what you want or don't want."

He nodded and stepped around the counter, holding his finger out to her. "Stay here a minute, I've got something for you. Don't move an inch."

She watched him as he disappeared upstairs and finished the rest of her tea; she knew she was young and children was something in her distant future, but she wasn't sure if she was okay having her options closed for her.

* * *

It felt like he was gone for ages but when he finally returned, he had his hands in his trouser pockets and a happy smirk on his face. He pressed his back against the kitchen wall and motioned for Tess to come over to him. When she was close to him he pulled her into an embrace and looked over her face.

"There's something that I've been wanting to ask you for a while now and this is the perfect time."

She let out a little laugh and looked up at him. "What is it?"

"I know at the beginning I wasn't the best to you and I regret that, but I like to think that I've proved to you that I've changed. I promised you then and I'll promise you now that I'll never lay a finger on you again."

"I know that you've changed, I can see that."

He let go of her and got down onto one knee, pulling out a red velvet box from his pocket. "Tess, you are much more than I deserve, and I know I'm still technically married but I won't be for much longer. Once this divorce is done, will you marry me?"

He opened the box and flashed the massive ring at her. She had never saw a diamond as big as the one on the platinum band. Tess stared down at him in disbelief and took a minute to think about her answer. "Yes, yeah I'll marry you."

He got onto his feet again and grinned at her as he took the ring from the box. "You could sound a little more excited." He placed the ring on her finger and kept a hold of her hand.

"I'm just in shock right now," she couldn't take her eyes off the ring, "trust me, I'm happy. I'm more than happy."

"There's no going back now, T. You're my future and I'll do anything to make sure of that." He stepped to his fridge and pulled a bottle of champagne out, waving it at her with a smirk. "How 'bout we go celebrate upstairs with this?"

She let him lead the way and playfully chased him up the stairs. In that moment, she was the happiest she had been in a long time. She knew that he wasn't perfect, but she could see that he was trying to be for her. Tess wasn't naïve, her dad and Cook hated him, each for different reasons; but she would be foolish if she didn't give Luke a chance to prove that he was marriage material.

* * *

She kept the duvet wrapped around her tightly as she reached for another glass of champagne. He watched her and placed his arm around her frame, pulling her into his side before turning back to his flat screen TV. He caught a glimpse of her staring down at her hand in disbelief and ran his fingers threw her long blonde hair.

"It's real you know, you're not dreaming."

"I know that I'm not, but I never expected you to propose to me."

"Why? Did you think that I wasn't in love with you?"

"No, not because of that," she looked up at him and took a sip from the champagne flute, "and it's not because of Frankie either. I just never imagined you being the white wedding type."

"I didn't used to be, I mean Frank and I were married in a registry with two other people there as witnesses. The more I started to fall for you, the more I wanted to see you in the finest dress with the best of everything. I want to give you whatever you want if it means you'll be with me for life."

"Are you just doing all of this for me because you feel guilty about what happened in the past?"

"I feel guilty," he lied convincingly as he took a swig from the bottle, "but it's not why I gave you the ring. I was an angry person when we first met, I started to drift apart from my wife and my business was starting to struggle. The only thing that kept me together was you, I didn't want to hurt you, but I was drinking every night of the week and I didn't know how to control it."

"Do you think you can control it now?" she said as she glanced at the almost empty bottle of champagne.

"I know my limits. Are you still scared of me?" he glanced up at her as he ran his finger along the rim of the bottle.

"I just worry that you might slip into your old ways, I know that you promised that you wouldn't, but the fear is still there."

He let out a sigh and pulled her onto his body, she lay in between his legs and rested her head on his stomach. He stroked the top of her head as he chewed the inside of his cheek. "You have no reason to fear me, I won't hurt you. You need to believe that."

She nodded even though she had a gut feeling that he wasn't being completely truthful. "I do."

* * *

The room was so bright when she woke up alone in Luke's bed. She could hear the vacuum roaring downstairs and could smell something cooking in the kitchen. She moved into the bathroom and turned the shower on, stepping into it as soon as the water was warm enough for her liking. She could feel her mood dipping again, she should've still been on cloud nine; they weren't even engaged twelve hours and she was already starting to have her insecurities about their relationship creep back into her mind. Tess leaned against the shower wall and squeezed her eyes shut as she tried to work out her feelings, but her thoughts of Cook wouldn't let her.

When she thought about him, she could feel his kiss tingle across her lips and his hands on her skin. He was like her forbidden fruit; she could only let herself have plutonic emotions towards him, but it was so hard to get him out of her mind, especially when she spent most of yesterday with him. She had noticed that he bought himself a new shirt and he looked so good in it… She had to stop thinking about him.

"You're awake." Luke said from behind the glass door.

She jumped a little and turned off the water. "Yeah, I just wanted to grab a quick shower. What time is my dad coming at?"

"In about twenty minutes, so get dressed quickly." He handed her a towel as she came out and quickly checked her out. "I'm going to finish off breakfast."

She bit her lip and glanced down at her ring. She was starting to feel nervous; she didn't know how her dad was going to react to her news. "I'll see you down there."

* * *

She waited for Luke to leave the bathroom before she started digging through her bag for the pills that she constantly kept on her. She clawed two out of the bag and glared at herself in the mirror. Her skin itched as she decided that she needed two to get her through the day, not one. She washed them down with a leftover bit of champagne from her glass and tied her wet hair up. Tess put on something comfortable and strolled down the stairs, hanging onto the banister for dear life. Her father was pulling into Luke's driveway and she could tell by his face that he was still unimpressed with Luke's façade. She lit up a cigarette as she waited for her dad to get out of the car and leaned against the wall for support.

"Good morning Tess, how're things?"

"Things are okay. What did you do last night? Did you get an early night?"

"I just worked on a couple of emails, nothing overly exciting. Do you want me to wait for you to finish or shall I go on in?"

"Just go in, Luke's making breakfast anyway so, I'm sure he would appreciate the company. I'm only awake." She said with a weak smile.

"Late night partying?" he said with a disapproving tone.

"No, we stayed in and had a couple of drinks. That's all."

Gerard examined his daughter's face with a scowl and touched her forehead. "Are you feeling okay? You're burning up."

"I feel fine, just get inside. Tell Luke I'll be in to help in a minute."

* * *

As soon as he was inside the house, Tess put her hand over her stomach and took in a deep breath. She felt so sick, but she put it down to being slightly hungover from all the champagne. She finished her cigarette and walked into the house, slowly scuffling towards the kitchen. The atmosphere was so tense, but she couldn't pick up on it, instead she just sat at the dining table and nodded for her father to sit across from her. She kept her hands hidden from him until Luke presented their full English breakfast in front of them. He sat beside her and noticed that she looked very pale.

"What is that on your finger?" Gerard asked as he glared at the rock on her hand.

"It's an engagement ring." She smiled faintly at Luke and looked at her dad. "He proposed to me last night and I said yes."

Gerard turned to Luke and grimaced at his smug face. "We talked about this yesterday in the car. I didn't give you my blessing."

"Yeah, but then I realised that I don't really care about your blessing. All that matters is Tess' happiness." He shrugged and started to cut up his sausages. "And she's more than happy."

She picked at the food on her plate and glanced up at her father. "I'm an adult now and all I want is for you to be pleased for me."

"Oh, come on, Tess. You have to realise that Luke is no good for you."

"But I'm happy, can't you be happy for me dad?"

"Listen to your daughter, maybe if you were around a lot more you would appreciate that I'm not as bad as you think I am."

"I've met guys like you, worse than you yes but just as arrogant and destructive as you. Do you really think I'm going to sit here and allow you to continue this engagement?"

Tess gripped onto the edge of the table and closed her eyes. "Dad." She had a tone of warning, but she was almost breathless when she said it.

"You have to believe me when I say that I'm going to treat her right." Luke leaned across the table and pointed his fork at Gerard. "And I'll marry her with your blessing or not."

"Luke." She whispered as she started to sway in her seat, but no one was paying attention to what was going on with her, Luke and her dad were too concentrated on each other.

"Then I won't be at the wedding and I know that Tess would want me to walk her down the aisle."

Luke was about to say something back to him when he heard a loud thud. He turned around and jumped out of his seat when he saw Tess convulsing on the floor. "Oh my god, T! Call an ambulance." He rolled her into the recovery position as Gerard did as he was told. "You're going to be okay, you have to be okay." He whispered in her ear as he kissed the side of her face. He had never felt anything like it; the panic was swallowing him whole.

* * *

The wait to find out what was wrong with Tess felt like days instead of hours. Gerard and Luke sat at opposite ends of the waiting room, avoiding all eye contact; they wouldn't even look in each other's direction. The tension between them broke when Cook ran into the hospital, going straight to the reception.

"I'm here for Tess Donovan, I'm her friend. You've gotta tell me what happened to her." He sounded desperate and worried. He looked over his shoulder and saw Gerard and Luke walking towards him. "What the hell happened to her?"

"She was fine this morning… She was so happy…" Luke mumbled to himself.

"Tess overdosed on something. We're not sure what it was." Gerard said calmly as he let out the breath he had been holding since she got into the hospital. "She'll be okay, she's just getting her stomach pumped."

"She was on drugs? I knew something was off with her."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Luke snapped at him, he squared up to him and wasn't ready to back down.

"You had to of noticed it to, if you didn't then you're obviously not paying attention." Cook widened his stance and was ready to swing for him when Gerard pushed Luke away.

"You need to tell me now if you've been giving her your supply."

"I would never give her drugs." He looked around Gerard and pointed at Cook. "Maybe you should ask him."

"I gave Tess nothing. Do you really think I would put her in danger like that?"

"If I find out it was you, I will kill you." Luke threatened with wide eyes.

"Right, calm down hot stuff." Gerard slapped his chest and turned to Cook. "How long do you think she's been on this stuff?"

"I've noticed her acting weird for the past couple of weeks. Her mood has been so up and down."

Luke had noticed her irrational behaviour too and he traced it back to when she killed Jack. He took a seat and put his head in his hands. "I can't believe this is happening."

"Well it is, and you're going to have to be there to look after her." Gerard said with a cautionary tone. "I have to go back home tonight so I need the both of you to promise to be there when I can't."

"I'll be there, definitely." Cook said, glancing down at Luke as he placed his hands in his pockets. He was the one that disappeared, not Cook.

"I'll be there when I can."

"When you can? You're her fiancé now. If you plan on marrying her then you have to be there through the bad."

"Wait, you and Tess are engaged?" Cook's eyes dug into the back of Luke's head. He couldn't tell if he was angry or jealous but whatever his emotion was, it wasn't good.

"Yeah I proposed last night. Listen, I'll be there. I'll cancel my night time meetings so Cook, I need you to look after her during the day."

"I'll be there whenever she needs me."

"That's the attitude you should be having, Luke. That's why things will never work out with Tess. She needs someone that's devoted to her and only her." A nurse came over to Gerard and said something lowly to him. "Tess is awake, she's asking for me. You can go in when I'm done. I'll let the two of you work out who I'm talking to." He stepped away from the two men and followed the nurse to the ward.

* * *

Cook took a seat beside Luke and clasped his hands, placing his hands in his pockets, one hand over his phone. "Congrats by the way."

Luke scoffed a little and ran his hand threw his short, blonde hair. He looked a mess, he felt so guilty for dragging her into this world; he was the root of her problems and he knew it. "Thanks, this was really how I pictured the day going with her."

"What do you think caused her to do this? I mean, it wouldn't have been the proposal, she loves you." Cook played dumb, hoping that Luke would admit what he did while he had phone on record.

Luke looked at Cook and it seemed like he was going to say something, but he just shook his head. "I don't know, I guess she's not as happy with me as I thought she was."

"Something had to of happened to her." Cook leaned forward and stared down at the floor. "I'll get to the bottom of it, find out what happened for you, if you want."

"No, I'll figure it out. Listen, I know that you're the only friend she's got so we'll split up the last of the visiting time. You go in first and I'll take the rest."

"Thanks, I know you're as worried for her as I am."

When Gerard came from the ward Luke looked at Cook and nodded towards Tess' father. "Looks like you're up."

Cook got onto his feet and stepped towards Gerard. "What's she like?"

"Groggy and in pain. Try and get where she got those drugs from. If they came from him then I'll murder him."

"I'll try my best. I'll keep you updated with her." He said as he rushed into the ward.

* * *

When Cook got to her, she sat up slightly in her bed. He fixed the pillows behind her and pulled a chair over to her bed. His eyes were filling up as he watched her move around in pain. When she saw his face, she took his hand.

"Shh, please don't cry." She whispered.

"Did you mean to do this? Were you trying to kill yourself?"

"No, god no. I've been battling with a lot of stuff in my mind and the pills were an escape."

"What were you taking?"

"The pills that Luke's been selling. Although I think the ones I took were a lot stronger." She ran her hand down her face and let out a sigh. "I can't talk to you about what's been going on with me, you told me not to."

"I shouldn't have said that, it made it sound like you can't talk to me. If Luke's doing something to you again and that's why you're taking the pills, you need to tell me. Was he the one giving them to you?"

"No. Luke will probably go through me for taking pills. How is he coping?"

"Not well, I mean his fiancée could've died."

She went quiet for a moment and bit her lip. "You heard."

"Your dad might have mentioned it. Why did you say yes?"

"I was caught up in the moment, I regretted it this morning. I should've thought about… Things."

"Listen, I have to give Luke his time, but I'll be with you tomorrow morning when he's at work. We'll talk about this in my flat. Okay?"

Tess nodded and rested against the fluffed pillows. "I look forward to it."

* * *

She waited for Luke to bust through the door and start shouting at her, but that didn't happen; he was just as cut up as Cook. He wasn't tearing up or anything, but his face was emotionless, and she knew that it was his only way of showing how he felt. He took the seat beside her and grabbed her hand, holding it to his mouth. His eyes shot to her as he kissed her hand.

"Who gave you the pills?"

"I'm not telling you, you'll kill him." She said quietly.

"Of course I will, you were off limits. You've always been off limits." He looked away from her and closed his eyes, swallowing back his rage. "Why did you take them?"

"I've been struggling with what I've done. I felt like, if I was down all the time, you'd get rid of me."

"I'll never let you go, that's why I put that ring on your finger. Those pills that you took would've killed you."

"I didn't know that, I wasn't trying to kill myself."

"This is all my fault, I shouldn't have made you kill Jack. I forced that on you T, you were so delicate and so innocent… Please forgive me."

Tess let out a breath and looked up at the ceiling. "I forgive you."

He kissed the top of her head as the nurse came to the door, telling Luke to wrap it up.

"I love you so much, T. You've got to believe that."

"I love you too." She touched his cheek. "If I'm getting out tomorrow, I'll call, okay?"

He nodded and backed away towards the door. "I'll be here, no matter what."


	7. VII: Too Many Messes

**Take Me Anywhere**

 **Summary:** It's been two years since Cook left Manchester, still on the run from the law and as desperate as ever to disappear. Everything was simple until he met her; Tess was the definition of the word mayhem. Can he survive in her world or can he pull her into his?

 **VII: Too Many Messes**

* * *

She was discharged from the hospital that night, and like Luke had said to her father, he wasn't going to be working at night. He was there for her and he took her back to the comfort of his home. He had flowers waiting for her by the front door and a massive teddy bear sitting on the bed. It made her smile and she appreciated the gestures he was making for her. It still didn't push the feelings she had for Cook out of her mind. She was still as confused as she was yesterday.

"You shouldn't have got all me this." She got into bed beside the bear and looked up at it's face. "I'm pretty sure this stuffed animal is bigger and heavier than me."

He sat on the edge of the bed and tucked her hair behind her ears. "I just wanted to show you how much I care about you."

She raised a brow and took his hand. "I hope you aren't doing this so that I tell you a name."

"No, I'm not but I'll get the name out of you in your own time."

"I'm not selling out my friend."

"You can tell me if it was Cook." He tilted his head a little. "I promise I won't kill him if it was, I'll just rough him up a bit."

She smiled slightly and shook her head. "It definitely wasn't Cook. I'm almost a hundred per cent sure that he is as disgusted with me and my pill popping as you are. So, you finally have something in common with him."

She tried to make what happened to her into a joke, but Luke was taking her overdose very seriously. He wanted to find out who sold her the drugs and he was determined to get to the bottom of it.

"I'm not disgusted with you, I understand now why you did it. I just wish you would've spoke to me about it, that's all." He got onto his feet and trailed the bear off the bed. "Get some sleep, I'm sure you're knackered."

"Stay with me, I was alone all last night and I don't want to be alone right now."

He watched her for a moment and nodded. "Just until you fall asleep, okay? I've got books to sort out now that you're going to be off for a few days."

She rested her head on him when he lay beside her. "If you want I'll do them when I get some sleep."

"No, T. Just concentrate on getting better for me, okay?"

He took her silence as a yes because it seemed like she went to sleep as soon as her head touched his chest. He looked down at her and smiled slightly, he wanted nothing more than to lie beside her all night, but a club still had to be run, and runners had to be supplied. She would be fine by herself for an hour or two.

* * *

The Imperial was packed to capacity when Luke arrived, but he wasn't planning on staying for long. He took a quick glance around when he got to the top of the stairs. Cook was doing what he said he was going to do; shift his gear to party goers and from what it looked like, he was successful, but he didn't seem like himself. What was going on with Tess had obviously got to him. He was in the clear, he didn't give her the drugs. He watched the rest of his runners and tried to think who would speak to her regularly but none of them seemed to be that friendly with her. Then he saw Mason go to his brother, Kyle. Whatever they were talking about visibly spooked Kyle and that's when he became Luke's target. He took a drink from a passing barmaid, downing it quickly before rolling up his sleeves. Kyle was going to pay in blood for the pain he caused Tess.

* * *

He packed his pills into little bags as he waited for Kyle to come into his office. When he finally arrived, he could tell that he was nervous, and he had every right to be. Luke glared at him and motioned for him to sit across from him. He lowered himself slowly into the seat and clasped his sweaty hands. They sat in silence until Luke finished bagging the pills.

"I'm sure you've heard about what happened to Tess."

"Yeah, everyone's been talking about it. How is she holding up?"

"Good, all things considered." Luke leaned back into his seat and regarded Kyle intensely. "I would really like to know who gave her those pills."

Kyle looked away from him and dropped his head. He felt so guilty about what he caused, but he knew what Luke was like. He was a psychopath. He'd kill him.

"So would I, Luke. Whoever did it should pay for what they did; she didn't deserve it."

"I completely agree with you, she didn't deserve it and you should pay." He got onto his feet quickly and stepped around the table ominously. "I mean, you gave her the drugs you gave that away very easily."

"I didn't, I swear." He looked up at look, terror in his eyes.

Luke gripped the teenager by the throat and dragged him out of the seat. "Don't lie to me, I saw Mason tell you what happened… I saw the look on your face." He pressed him against the wall and whispered in his ear. "Take what I'm going to do to you as your dismissal."

Kyle squeezed his eyes shut and started to choke for air as Luke's grip on his neck got tighter. "Please… I'm sorry."

"You will be."

* * *

Tess stirred in her sleep and felt around the bed for Luke, but he wasn't there. She opened her eyes slowly and looked around the dark room. She was just about able to get herself out of bed and as she walked around the empty house, she kept a hold of her aching stomach. She treaded carefully down the stairs and followed the light into the living room, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw Luke sitting there watching TV and the records from the club on his lap. He looked round at her and rushed over to her.

"What are you doing out of bed?" he put his arm around her shoulders and lead her back towards the staircase.

"You weren't there when I woke up. I thought you went to the club or something."

"No, I'm right here. I told you I had to do the books."

She looked at his hand on her shoulder and noticed that his knuckles were bloodied and bruised. "What happened to your hand, Luke?"

"Doesn't matter, it's fine." He took her back to the bed and helped her get in. "I'm going to go put everything away and then I'll come back to you."

She nodded and watched him leave the room, she could tell that he was hiding something from her and she didn't like it. Whatever he done, Cook would tell her.

* * *

It was Cook's turn to look after Tess and he felt nervous. He had no idea how he was going to act around her. When he saw her at the hospital, he couldn't hide how he felt about her overdose and part of him felt embarrassed. The other side of him was angry with her for accepting his proposal. It seemed like she forgot about all the beatings he gave her in the beginning of their relationship and the things he made her do. He couldn't understand why she said yes; she told him herself that she regretted it. Whatever was going on in that head of hers, he was determined to get to the bottom of it.

He was midway through getting dressed when there was a knock at the door. He threw on his T-shirt and answered to see Luke standing in a freshly pressed suit and Tess in her baggy clothes. She looked like she was in a lot of pain and she was being supported by Luke. When she looked at him, Cook could see that she was physically and mentally hurt. Luke passed her carefully over to Cook, watching as he wrapped his arm around her and pulling her to his side.

"How're you feeling?"

She looked up at Cook and gave him a half smile. "I've been better."

"I'll be back around three to pick Tess up." He put his hand in his pocket and handed Cook a packet of painkillers. "She's supposed to take these with food."

Cook looked at the packet and put them in his back pocket. "Looks like I'm cooking this morning."

"If you need me, just call me and I'll be here like a rocket." He said as he placed his hands on her cold cheeks.

She nodded and kissed the palm of one of his hands. "I will."

He looked back up at Cook and raised a brow. "Take care of her or there'll be consequences."

"I've got this, she'll be fine with me." He snapped as he helped her into his flat. "See you at three." He closed the door in Luke's face and walked her over to the sofa. "Guess I better make you some breakfast."

* * *

He watched her as she forced herself to eat the scrambled eggs that he had made her. She only ate them so that she could get one of them painkillers. She noticed how he watched her, like she was broken. She didn't expect Cook to act the way he did when he came to the hospital, if anyone was going to cry for her, it would've been Luke, but it seemed as if Cook was more damaged by what happened to her than her fiancé.

"Why are you watching me? It's very awkward." She said as she scraped the last of the egg onto her fork.

"I just want to make sure that you eat everything before I give these to you, I don't want anything else to happen to you."

"You need to relax, nothing is going to happen." She winced a little as she turned to get onto her feet, but Cook was there almost instantly, helping her back down and taking the plate from her hand.

"I'll take that, just lie there."

She sighed a little and watched him as he went into his kitchen. "Can I have a glass of something fizzy with the pill?"

"You can have water."

"Do you not have coke or lemonade?"

He came back out with a glass and one painkiller, handing them to her slowly. "I live on takeaways, so I don't really do shopping, you were lucky I had the eggs."

She swallowed back the long pill with a mouthful of water and set the glass by her side. "I really need to start cooking your meals again."

"We'll just worry about getting you better first."

"I am better, I had my stomach pumped, remember?"

"But you're still sore."

She stared at him for a moment, chewing the inside of her cheek. "You need to stop, Cook."

"Stop what?"

"Acting like I'm on suicide watch or something. I didn't mean to OD on those pills, I obviously didn't know how strong that batch was and that's it." She folded her arms across her chest and looked up at the ceiling.

"I'm not treating you like you are on a suicide watch, I'm just worried about you, Tess. That's all." He sat down beside her feet and ran his hand through his messy hair. "When your dad called me, I feared the worst, I felt so guilty because I made you feel like you couldn't open up to me about him and I feel like that's why you were taking those pills."

"I was taking those pills because I couldn't live with myself sober after everything I've done. I killed someone, yeah, I was pressured into it, but I still murdered a man and then to make things worse, I played with your emotions and I still am. I can see how much you love me every time you look at me, but I don't know what to do." Tess glanced down at her engagement ring and clasped her hands tightly. "I love him too, Cook." She whispered.

"I know you do. You see the good in people even if they've done terrible things to you."

"He's changed, he hasn't hurt me in a long time. But I don't see just the good, I can see the bad in him too. I'm in love with both of you but if we're ever going to have a relationship, I don't want to start it off with an affair. I mean I've kissed you twice while I've been with him; I need to learn how to control my feelings around you."

"I will wait for you, but I'm not going to wait my whole life. You need to make a choice, not right this moment but soon because I'm not going to keep my heart on hold forever." He could see her mulling over his words, he didn't want to upset her, but he had to be truthful with her; he wanted a life too.

"There's one thing that makes me want to stay away from Luke, I know he's not hitting me anymore but last night I saw these bruises on his knuckles and blood on his hand. Do you know if he did something last night?"

Cook shook his head and looked away from her. "I was so busy last night, shifting my split of the gear and with everything that went on with you, I just sold my stuff and went home because I wasn't feeling it last night."

"If you knew something, would you tell me?"

"I would be the first one to tell you. I'll try and find out if something went down last night because if he was going to tell you, he would've by now."

She nodded and glanced towards his balcony. "Let's go have a smoke I've been dying for one… Luke won't let me while I'm like this."

Cook got onto his feet and helped her onto her own. "Well, I'm not going to be that strict with you."

* * *

She leaned on the balcony and closed her eyes as the wind and the blow back from Cook's cigarette hit her face. She couldn't help but peek at Cook when he wasn't watching her; there was something about him that she always liked. It was either his charm or the way he would do anything to see her smile.

"Have you been seeing anyone?"

"Where is that coming from?"

"I just want to know, I mean you are allowed to see other people." She shrugged a little and looked away from him, "I just want you to be happy."

"No, I'm not seeing anyone. We all know how well you reacted when I went home with another girl." He smirked slightly and watched her shoulders stiffen. "The jealousy was very clear."

"I wasn't jealous, I felt like you were ignoring me, and I didn't like that very much."

"You keep telling yourself that." He patted her on the top of her head and joined her at the balcony. "When you finish up here, I'll let you nap in my room."

"I'll probably be able to sleep for more than a couple of hours with these painkillers." She threw her cigarette butt away and put one of her hands on her side. "You have no idea how thankful I was for my prescription to be ready."

"I take it they're working?" he followed her back into his flat and watched her take her jacket off.

"Like a dream." She rolled up her long-sleeved T-shirt and shuffled towards his room. "Wake me up when Luke gets here if I don't wake up before then."

"Of course, just get some sleep."

* * *

She woke up when she heard Luke come into Cook's flat. She rubbed the tiredness from her eyes and pushed herself up a little. There wasn't much conversation between them and she was expecting Cook to come and get her, but Luke stepped into his bedroom with a small smile on his face. She returned his smile and tried to get up by herself, but her medication wore off and she struggled.

"Don't," he placed his hand on her shoulder and sat beside her, "I have to work tonight, something's come up."

"What? I thought you said that you weren't going to work at night until I got better?"

"I know, and I don't want to." He kept his eyes on her as she lay back against the headboard. "I've gave Cook the night off, so he can look after you, he said that if you want to, you can both stay in your flat tonight."

She shook her head and looked up at the ceiling. "I'd rather stay here. What came up?"

"Kyle quit so I have to write out application forms for a bar position and I need to relieve Mason of his duties so that he can work behind the bar. I'm sorry T, I know I told you that I'd be there at night."

She shook her head a little and kept her eyes away from him, looking everywhere but his face. "It's fine, these things happen."

"Don't be mad at me, T. I obviously don't want this." When she didn't say a word to him or even look in his direction, he sighed and took her hand. "Tess, you and I both know that the world I live in is very difficult at times. It means I have to do things I don't necessarily want to do."

"But you do it anyway because money rules you." She looked at him and took her hand away from him. "Cook has a life too, you know. I'm not his responsibility, I'm marrying you, you should look after me."

"If you want you can come to the club and lie on the sofa all night, if that's what you want then by all means." He got onto his feet and went to pick her up, but she pushed him away.

"I don't even want to look at your face right now, I'm that angry with you." She rolled onto her side, groaning quietly into her hand. "I'll see you tomorrow, if you can be bothered to get me."

He chewed the inside of his cheek and stepped closer towards her, he had to say something to her, the anger was eating at him but Cook stepped into his room with his arms folded and Luke could tell that he knew what his intentions were.

"I'll be back in the morning for her." He said as he stormed out of the room.

"Listen, if you're in this mood in the morning, I don't think she'll go with you."

"She will come home with me tomorrow one way or the other."

The door slammed behind him and it made Tess jump. The way he was acting had her confused; it seemed like he was teetering on the edge of slipping into his old ways and it scared her. She looked over her shoulder when she felt the weight of Cook's body sit on the edge of the bed.

"Don't even say a word." She mumbled as she played with the fabric of the pillowcase under her head.

"Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine." She rolled onto her back slowly and glared up at the ceiling. "Something's happened."

"Whatever it is, I won't be able to find out until Luke actually looks after you." Cook placed his hand on her wrist and pulled her hand towards him. "You know you don't have to go back to him."

"What do you expect me to do? Drop everything and run?"

"What's stopping you?"

"The faith that he will keep his promises." She looked at her friend and smiled ever so slightly. "This conversation is so exhausted, Cook. Can't you just let me make my own mistakes?"

"No, because I don't want you to get hurt and I will keep asking you until you say yes."

"Just spoon me, we don't need to talk about this anymore."


	8. VIII: Enemy

**Take Me Anywhere**

 **Summary:** It's been two years since Cook left Manchester, still on the run from the law and as desperate as ever to disappear. Everything was simple until he met her; Tess was the definition of the word mayhem. Can he survive in her world or can he pull her into his?

 **VIII: Enemy**

* * *

As the weeks rolled on, Tess started to faze her way back into the running of the club. The circumstances around Kyle's resignation was very hushed and even Mason wasn't saying anything about it. Cook hadn't heard a whisper about why he left, no matter how much he pressed Kyle's brother on it. Luke wasn't going to tell her a thing either and Tess knew that the only way she was going to find out what happened to her friend was if she visited him herself.

As she walked around the dancefloor of the club, watching the decorators place the decorations for her engagement party, she heard bar staff whispering about her. She kept her head to the clipboard in her arm and took in a deep breath; life was harder for her now that she was sober, she had to roll with the punches and it was hard to handle, especially when everyone seemed to have an opinion. Her overdose was the talk of the club and if people weren't talking about her behind her back, they were coming to her face with fake sympathy hoping for gossip. When she heard the two girls giggling behind the bar, she lost her temper and strolled over to them, her heels loud enough on the wooden floor to attract their attention.

"If you two have something to say about me, at least say it to my face." She shouted as she leaned on the bar.

"We weren't talking about you." One of them said, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"Bullshit, do you think I'm fucking deaf? I'll have your head you bitch." She went to grab one of the girls, but someone ripped her away from the bar.

"Have the night off, Zoe." Luke said as he carried Tess away. She was flailing in his arms, but he kept a tight grip on her. "Calm down, T. You're causing a scene."

"You should've let me slap that fucking smirk off her face." She stared up at Luke as he threw her onto one of the soft seats in the VIP area.

"What is going on?" he sat down beside her, resting his arm on the table.

"They were talking about me, I could hear them! Laughing and mocking me as if what happened was a joke." She glared over to the bar, but Luke moved into her view.

"I understand that your mood is going to be up and down until you get off your pain medication, but you have to control your anger."

"I haven't taken any of my meds because I want to have a drink and enjoy our party tonight. But that's going to be hard because they'll be working it."

Luke stared at her for a minute before letting out a sigh. "I'll speak to them, just please calm down. Do you want to take a couple of hours to cool off? I'll make sure everything is sitting the way you want it for when you come back." He gave her a smile and placed his hand over hers. He enjoyed seeing this side of Tess.

She returned his smile and tried her best to cool off. "I think a couple of hours would be good. You know you have to follow every single thing that I have on this clipboard because I'll be able to tell if it isn't done."

"Relax, T I've got this. Take the afternoon off and just get yourself dolled up for our big night." He kissed her gently on the cheek. "But, before you go, I have something to tell you."

"What is it?" she handed over her clipboard and got onto her feet.

"Michael's coming to the party, Frankie says she'll drop him off."

Tess grinned and clasped her hands. "So, I finally get to meet him. I can't wait."

"Me either. But you must be calm first so, go. I won't hold you back anymore." He got up and kissed her goodbye, watching as she left the club.

* * *

As soon as she was around the corner, she called Cook and asked for him to pick her up. She got into his car and smiled a little at him.

"You're looking a lot better." He said as he drove off.

"Wish I was feeling better," she sighed and played with the bottom of her skirt, "I need to ask you a favour."

"What is it?"

"I've got Kyle's address from one of the copies of his payslip, will you take me there? I need to know what happened to him."

"Are you sure you want to just show up at his house unannounced?"

"I've texted him every day for the past week, but he isn't answering. Won't answer my calls either… I just need to know if Luke did something to him."

Cook glanced at her, noticing how guilty she looked. He knew that if Luke did do something to Kyle, Tess would blame herself. That's the kind of girl she was; she was too caring for her own good.

"I'll take you, just give me the address."

* * *

Kyle still lived with his mother in a quite neighbourhood on the outskirts of Croydon. The semi-detached house was maintained beautifully, the little garden outside the house was amazing; she had everything trimmed in line and so many vibrant flowers growing outside her window. As she walked along the path to the front door, she looked at the rose bush that grew in the garden with fondness. Tess always loved roses. She let out the breath she was holding and knocked the door, looking over her shoulder to see if Cook was still right beside her. When the door opened, Tess smiled warmly at the middle-aged woman that answered.

"Mrs Wright, my name's Tess, this is Cook… We're Kyle's friends. I was wondering if he was home?"

"Tess, yes I've heard him mention you before. I'm sorry but he's not home now. Have you tried calling him?"

"Yes, I don't think he really wants to speak to me. I thought that if I showed up that he would realise how much I need to talk to him." She clasped her hands in front of her, playing with the ring on her finger for comfort. "Will you let him know that I stopped by? Tell him to return one of my calls…"

Mrs Wright looked Tess over then looked at Cook before nodding. "I'll let him know." She closed the door, leaving the two standing on her porch, deflated and more desperate for answers.

Tess turned to Cook who was standing with his hands in his pockets. "This was an absolute bust."

"Maybe not, he'll call you. If something happened, he's probably terrified. And I know the lad, he blames himself."

"I begged him for those pills, what I did isn't his fault." She glanced back at the house before she got into Cook's car. "Let's just get out of here."

* * *

Cook pulled up outside of Luke's house and stared at it with a raised brow. He didn't want to say anything that would piss Tess off, so he kept his mouth shut. He just followed her into the large house, taking in his surroundings in complete silence.

"Are you coming to the party tonight?" she waved him upstairs and took him into the bedroom she shared with Luke.

"Yeah, it's your engagement party. Of course, I'll be there." He sat on the edge of the bed and watched Tess as she started to put her make up on. "Are you sure Luke will be alright with me being in his home?"

"I don't see why not, we're friends and I've been spending so much time here." She looked at him in the reflection of the mirror as he looked around the pristine room. "What are you thinking?"

"That Luke is loaded. What's the need for such a big house?"

"He has a son, you know."

"You failed to tell me that." Cook stared at the back of her head in disbelief. He didn't seem like the fatherly type.

"I tried to tell you a month ago, but you didn't want to hear it. You know, I really battled with the thoughts of becoming a step-mother and dealing with the drama of Luke's ex, but I think I'm ready to take on that responsibility." She turned around in her stool and exchanged a look with her friend. "I've always wanted to be a mum, granted not this young…"

"Did he knock you up? Is that what you're trying to tell me right now?"

"No, I'm not pregnant but I want to be a motherly figure to this little boy. I had mother figures come in and out of my life and I just want to be a constant fixture in Michael's life."

"Why are you telling me all of this? Shouldn't Luke be the one you're telling?"

"He doesn't want anymore kids, I think that's why I'm really clinging to this step-mother role."

"Maybe he'll change his mind?"

Tess turned back to the mirror and started to brush her hair. "Maybe, or maybe I'll change mine." She put down her brush and got onto her feet. "I'm going to get dressed, we'll go back to your flat before we head to the club, so you can change."

Cook looked down at his clothes and furrowed his brows. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"

"It's black tie so you have to wear a suit." She went over to her wardrobe and pulled out a white cocktail dress. She took off her skirt and slipped the dress over her legs.

Cook turned his head away from her, staring at the plain white wall. "I don't think I have a suit."

"Then I'll buy you one." She took off her blouse and pulled the rest of the dress up. "Do you mind doing the zip for me?"

He nodded at her and stepped towards her, zipping her into the revealing dress. "It's fine, I'll see what I've got at home."

She stepped over to the bed, sitting down while she put her heels on and looked at the time on her phone. "Then we better go now, or I'll be late to my own party."

* * *

Most of the guests at the party were friends of Luke's but Tess had a couple of her old university friends attend. She was surprised to see that Luke completed everything on her checklist and greeted him with a long kiss. He led her away from Cook and placed his hand in hers.

"You look beautiful and I think you deserve this," he took a glass of champagne from one of the passing bar staff hand handed it to her. He took one for himself and rested his glass against hers, "to us."

"To us." She smiled and took a sip of the champagne. "This place looks great, you did an amazing job." She put her arm around his waist and looked around the club.

"You already gave me a head start. I just wanted this party to be perfect for you." He looked down at her and watched her sip at her glass. "You've had a hard time lately, I just want you to be happy."

"I know you do, I see you trying. Don't think that I don't appreciate it." She looked up at him and placed her head on his arm. "I'll get over what happened, eventually."

"Take your time. Listen, I've a couple of old friends here, I'm going to go chat with them, I'll catch up with you soon, okay?" he looked at his watch. "Michael will be coming soon, and I can't wait for him to meet you."

She watched him stroll away, approaching his mates with an arrogant swagger and placed her glass against her lip, saying to herself, "Me too."

* * *

As she mingled with the people she met at university, she realised how much her life had changed. She listened to their struggles; the constant coursework and the tiny flats they were living in and she felt jealous. She was thankful for everything that Luke provided for her, but before she knew it she would be married and working full time when she should be out with her friends, making mistakes and preparing for graduation. Tess tried her best to put those thoughts to the back of her mind, she was happy; her life was just different from what she imagined. She took another drink and made her way around the room, sharing the odd smile with strangers and receiving awkward 'congratulations' from Luke's most trusted friends. That's when she saw Luke with his son in his arms with smiles on both of their faces and her doubts started to fade away. She was sucked back into Luke's world. When she stepped towards them she grinned at the toddler and placed her hand on Luke's shoulder.

"Hello Michael, you are just the most gorgeous boy in the world." She tickled him playfully and looked up at Luke.

"Michael's been very excited to meet you, haven't you, baby?" he kissed his son's head and balanced him on his hip so that he could put his arm around Tess. "What've you been up to?"

"Just talking to people. There's only a couple of people that I actually know here."

"You'll get to know my mates over time."

"I hope so, I don't want every party we have to be so… Distant." She looked around at all of Luke's friends and shook her head. She could only name three of them. "How about we bring out the cake and then we can slip off to a quiet area so that I can get to know your son better?"

"I'll go speak to the girls in the back," Luke passed Michael over to Tess, "I'll be back in a second." He stepped away from her and glanced back, noting how naturally she took to him; when it came to children, Tess knew what she was doing.

* * *

Cook looked down at the huge cake with Tess and Luke's faces printed onto it with discontent as he rolled it out onto the dance floor. He caught a glimpse of Tess holding Luke's son and saw the glimmer of joy in her eyes as the child smiled at her. When Luke joined them, he could see how much they loved each other in that moment but he couldn't help but have this feeling that bad things were coming her way; nothing was that perfect. It was a charade, especially when it came to Luke.

They cut into the cake, feeding each other a tiny piece as they stared into each other's eyes. Tess sucked a piece of frosting from her thumb and followed Luke's distant gaze towards Frankie; she was a foot away from Tess, arms crossed and a nasty glare on her face. She stepped closer to them as people started to disperse back into their groups.

"This is who you left me for? I knew she was going to be a blonde tramp."

"Frank don't be like this. Jealousy doesn't suit you." Luke's mood changed instantly. He held his hand up at her, waving it around as he spoke. "If I thought you were going to get on like this, I wouldn't have asked you to bring Michael."

"Listen Frankie, I know that a divorce is difficult but we're happy together and you deserve to be happy too." Tess was trying to cool the situation, but she only riled up Frankie's rage.

"You think you know everything, don't you? All you are is the little skank that came in between a happy family."

"We weren't happy, don't try spin that shit." He interjected with a scowl.

"We were until you met her." She turned her attention back to Tess. "How long did it take you to jump into bed with him? Ten minutes?"

Tess shook her head and bit hard on her bottom lip. "I know that you're hurt that your marriage broke down, but don't embarrass yourself."

"Me? Embarrassing myself? Look in the mirror, love. You're the only one embarrassing yourself, everyone here can see that this relationship of yours won't last. We'll see how long it takes him to cheat on you too." She placed a hand on her hip and scoffed in Tess' face. "At least you'll be able to bleed him of a little money before you leave him."

Tess clenched her fists as her own anger filled her. "You're just jealous that your ex husband is happy with someone other than you. I'm sorry that he wasn't happy with you, but maybe if you weren't such a raging bitch, he would've been."

* * *

Frankie grabbed a drink from a stranger's hand and drenched Tess in it. Without hesitation, Tess launched herself at Frankie, gripping her by her short red hair. She slapped her across the face, but Frankie punched her, and she had a good hit. They kept a hold of each other by the hair as Luke pulled Frankie from Tess. Cook ran over, pushing his way past the crowds and pushed Tess back before she got hurt anymore. Blood from her nose dripped onto her white dress and Cook tried to clean her face up with his shirt sleeve. When Luke came back to Tess, he nudged Cook out of the way and placed his hands on Tess' face.

"Is your nose okay? Is it broken?"

"It's fine, it's just a bit of blood." Cook replied.

"I wasn't asking you."

"I'm okay, it's not broken." She placed her hand on her forehead and glanced down at herself. "I look like an absolute state. I'm sorry for ruining our night."

"You didn't do anything wrong." Luke sighed and looked at Cook, patting him on the shoulder. "Thanks for stepping in."

"One of us had to make sure Tess was okay." He looked at Tess and gave her a small smile before he stepped away. "You need to work on your throw."

Luke moved into her view when he saw her smirk slightly at Cook's comment and kissed her forehead gently. "Let's ditch this party, get you and Michael back home. I think we can all do with an early night."

Tess nodded and gripped the top of her arm. "Yeah, I think we should call it a day. Next party we have, you're not inviting her."

"That was a bad idea on my part."

* * *

Under the bright lights of Luke's ensuite, she could see that a bruise under her eye was starting to show and the bridge of her nose was slightly swollen. She sighed and wiped the rest of the horrible night from her face. She had never been in a fight before, but it seemed like Frankie had because she hit her hard. Tess caught Luke staring at her from the reflection, he was smiling at her as he leaned against the doorway.

"Michael's asleep, he went down so quickly for a change. How's the face?"

"I'm going to have a black eye by the morning. Was Frankie a boxer or something before she had Michael?"

"She just knew how to hold her own." He left the doorway and stepped into their room, kicking off his shoes.

"I just can't believe she started on me so quickly. I know that there's bad blood between the two of you but I'm an innocent bystander."

"She doesn't really see it like that, T." he took of his suit and put on a pair of pyjama bottoms. When he got into bed, he waved her over.

Tess lay down between his legs, her head rested on his chest. She relaxed when she felt his hands on her back. "I guess so. I think the only good thing that came out of tonight was meeting Michael and seeing the two of you together."

"It's nice having him back in this house, finally. I've got you and him, that's all I need."

She looked up at Luke, taking in every detail of his face. "You're a good dad to him, I can tell by the way you were looking at him." She rested her head back onto his chest and let out a sigh. "I'm just sorry that Michael had to see his mum get into a fight with his dad's partner. I should've controlled myself better."

"You've had it rough lately, I don't blame you for what happened and Michael's not going to remember the fight in a day or two." He closed his eyes and held her closer. "You need to relax and stop over thinking things."

"That's easier said than done."


	9. IX: Revelation

**Take Me Anywhere**

 **Summary:** It's been two years since Cook left Manchester, still on the run from the law and as desperate as ever to disappear. Everything was simple until he met her; Tess was the definition of the word mayhem. Can he survive in her world or can he pull her into his?

 **IX: Revelation**

* * *

Frankie arrived at Luke's house to pick up her son feeling confident that after the party and what happened in front of Michael, that he would be a little harder to handle; he usually didn't sleep through the night and in the mornings, he was a little devil. People told Frankie that all kids go through the 'terrible twos' but a three-year-old was a lot worse. Before she knocked on the door, she could see all three of them through the window, sitting around the kitchen table in their pyjamas. Michael was sitting on Tess' lap while Luke tried his best to make him laugh. She felt the jealousy build up inside her; they looked more like the perfect image of a happy family than her and Luke ever did. She knocked the door with a scowl and made eye contact with Tess, raising a brow at her. When she looked at Luke, he was stepping towards the door without Michael. He stepped onto the porch and folded his arms across his exposed chest.

"What are you doing here, Frank?"

"I'm picking up my son, it is Monday and I told you that you could only have him for the weekend." She copied his stance and tilted her head at him.

"I told you that I was going to take him to your place. I also told you that you weren't to come here, this isn't your house anymore."

"I spent almost four years here, it's my house more than its hers." Frankie looked around Luke and looked at Tess again as she cleaned the breakfast from Michael's face.

He rolled his eyes and blocked her view. "My name is on this place and no one else's. You better leave before I call the police."

"There's no need for that," Tess said from behind him, Michael was rested on her hip and his bag was hanging from her shoulder, "don't cause a fuss in front of him." She looked at Luke then to Frankie before handing Michael over to his mum.

Frankie grinned down at Michael as he threw his arms around her. "Mummy, I missed you!"

"I missed you too, baby." She kissed him on the side of the head then took the bag from Tess. "Do you want to get into the car all by yourself while I talk to dad?"

He squirmed excitedly to get out of Frankie's arms and took her car keys, running towards the car.

* * *

She watched her son until he got into the car and turned back to Tess with a smirk. "I'm glad I left a mark on that pretty little face, doesn't look so pretty now."

Tess shook her head and placed her hand on Luke's shoulder, looking up at him. "I'm going to go clean up and get dressed." She stepped away from the feuding parents, glancing over her shoulder at Frankie before slipping back into the kitchen.

"Why do you blame her?" he hadn't taken his eyes off Frankie since she got to his house. The more that she did to try and be an inconvenience, the more joy he took in it. He loved that she hated him. "Is it because she's beautiful or is it because she actually makes me enjoy life again?"

"I don't hate her, I just like upsetting her because when she's upset, you get angry." Frankie shook her head at him and placed her hands on her hips. "Maybe if you hadn't of cheated on me, things would've been more peaceful for you and her."

"Can you honestly say that we wouldn't have killed each other if we had of stayed together?"

"No, I can't but you should've had the respect for me as the mother of your child to break up with me and then hook up with your little blonde tramp."

Luke laughed in her face and stepped back into the house. "You've got what you came here for, you saw the mark you left on her so leave."

"Knowing you, I'm sure she's used to having a couple of marks, she might even get used to you cheating on her when she finds out what you and your mates like to get up to. She seems like she would just roll over for you."

"You know nothing about our relationship or what goes on in my life, so just keep your fucking nose out of it before I cut it off."

She smiled and started to walk towards her car. "Looks like I've hit a nerve. I'll be in touch about more playdates with Michael and your little slut."

When the car door opened, Luke heard his son shouting, "Bye daddy, bye Tess."

He waved at his son with a smile while he clenched his other hand into a fist. Frankie knew how to get under his skin, she had always done it well.

* * *

Tess watched him sit at the table and jumped when he picked up the vase, throwing it against the wall. He was shaking with anger and she shook with fear. She didn't know if she should go over to him and comfort him or stay out of his way; it was always so hard to judge how he was going to act when he was in this state. It had been nearly a year since he got like this and it was the last time he had put his hands on her, she didn't want it to happen again. Instead, she got a brush and shovel and swept up the pieces of glass and picked up the flowers that were lying on the ground.

"Leave it, come here." He ordered, peeking at her from the corner of his eye.

She put everything down and carefully stepped towards him. When he held his arm out towards her, she flinched but after a moment she took his hand and allowed him to pull her onto his lap. He buried his head into her chest and sighed as she stroked the back of his head.

"I'm sorry, she just knows how to wind me up. I know you hate my temper."

"Pay her no attention, I don't." she lifted his head up, kissing him gently. "You and I both know that she's just trying to break us up."

"Did you hear what she said?" he stared up at Tess as he rested his hand on her leg.

"She wasn't exactly being quiet about it. I don't believe that you would cheat on me, if that's what you're worried about."

"With how our relationship started… I don't want you to think that I would."

Tess placed her hand on his cheek and shrugged her shoulders. "You've never gave me a reason to think that. I'd like to think that you wouldn't cheat on me."

"I couldn't, I love you too much."

"Then we're fine. I'm going to head out, I've a couple of things to do. Do you mind cleaning up that mess you made?"

He smiled slightly and nodded, patting her on the leg. "I think it's the least I could do."

* * *

She got out of the taxi and stared up at the run-down block of flats with a frown. This was the address Kyle had given her and she hoped that he wasn't living here, but it was clear that this was where he had been hiding. She buzzed for number '4' and waited for the door to open. Once she was inside, she took the dirty staircase up to his floor and knocked on the door. On the other side, she could hear rustling and rushed footsteps. When Kyle answered the door, she was horrified by the state of his face. He was bruised and swollen; his nose looked like it had been broken and snapped back into place. He didn't look like himself.

"Oh my god, Kyle. What happened to you?" she put her arms around him immediately and let him squeeze her tight.

"I'll explain everything, just get in before someone sees you." He pulled her in and slammed his door shut.

"What has you so paranoid? Are you still taking those pills?" she looked around his messy flat and sat on the arm of the sofa; it was the only part that seemed to be clean.

"I stopped taking those pills when I heard what happened to you," he sat beside her and took her hands into his, "I just want you to know that I am so sorry for what happened to you. If only I knew that you were going to overdose… I wouldn't have given them to you."

"I know that Kyle, I also know that it wasn't your fault, it was mine. I shouldn't have pushed you so hard for them pills. I would be a horrible friend if I blamed you for my mistake." She gave him a comforting smile and concentrated on the injuries to his face. "Are you going to tell me what happened to you?"

"You can tell me how you got that black eye first… Is he hitting you again?" his voice was so quiet, almost a whisper when he asked.

"How did you know that he used to hit me?"

"Everyone at the club could tell, his knuckles were always bruised, and we would go weeks without seeing you around. Mason and I put two and two together."

She took her hands away from Kyle and folded them tightly against her stomach. Knowing that they knew about one of her lowest points made her feel sick. "He doesn't hit me anymore, hasn't in a while." She bit her bottom lip and closed her eyes. "Frankie did this to me."

"His ex?"

"So, you knew about her too?"

"Mason knows a lot about what goes on in the club and he tells me pretty much everything. I'm his brother, he's got to tell me to keep himself sane."

"Well, he kept your whereabouts pretty private. Cook and I have been so worried about you."

"I didn't want to see you for a long time, I really hated myself when Mason told me about you."

She nodded and looked down at the floor. "Who beat you up?" she knew what the answer was going to be; she had the feeling that Luke had done something to him before she had even arrived. It would explain why he wouldn't answer her messages.

"You know who did this to me, you know because he used to do this to you. Only, he probably wasn't so harsh." He rubbed at his eye carefully, wincing a little. "The night you got out of the hospital he came to the club and did this to me. I'm lucky though."

"Lucky? He beat the shit out of you!" she exclaimed angrily.

"He could've killed me, Tess. I deserved what I got."

"No, you didn't." she moved onto the sofa and put her hands on his face gently and inspected every bruise and cut. "I'm not going to let him get away with what he did."

"You can't let him know that you visited me, he told me that I wasn't to speak to you again. I think his words were, 'if you even lay eyes on her, I'll have your head'."

"Why is Mason still working for him if he did this to you?"

"Because Luke has too much on him and Mason knows too much. It wouldn't be smart if he left him on bad terms."

* * *

Tess was in disbelief, she didn't want to believe that Luke would do this to her friend, but she had witnessed first-hand how violent he can be. It made her question everything about the last couple of weeks with him; he had been so good to her, he let her meet Michael and he allowed her to move some of her things into his house. Was he only doing those things because he felt guilty for hurting her friend or was he only trying to distract her from what was really going on so that she wouldn't leave him. That's when Frankie's words from the party and this morning played in her head; he was already showing that he was violent again, so does that mean she was right when she said that he was cheating on her too?

"What else does Mason know?"

"It's not my place to say, if you mention anything to him, he'll know who it's coming from."

"He's been going to this snooker hall near the club every Friday night for a couple of months, can you ask Mason what goes on there?"

"I can't Tess…"

"If you don't then I'm going to go down there and find out for myself."

He sighed and got onto his feet. "I'll call him, okay?" he took his phone from his pocket and stepped out of the room, leaving Tess alone with her thoughts.

She should've taken Cook up on his offer to run. She felt like a fool for staying but now she was in too deep, she wanted to see all the good in him but now she was starting to see more of the bad.

* * *

He was worried about Tess, he had heard nothing since her party on Saturday and neither her or Luke had been to the club. He kept thinking about that hit she took, and the way Luke handled it; Luke didn't seem to care too much about it until he rushed over to Tess. Maybe he was thinking too much about it, it could've been the loneliness getting the better of him. He shook the thoughts from his head and started to prepare for the night ahead of him, he had set the goal of making as much money as possible from his business on the side. He never knew when he was going to need that money. He wanted to keep it just in case Tess needed to get out of Croydon.

The door of the club flung open, smacking against the walls and Tess stormed in, looking around frantically for someone. Cook assumed that it was Luke but when she started moving towards Mason, he realised that she had spoke to Kyle. He ran over to her and pulled her back.

"What is going on with you?"

"Luke beat the shit out of Kyle and he," she glared over to Mason, "kept it a secret from me. He knew how worried about him I was… I texted him so many times."

"So, what are you planning on doing? Punching him? Kyle's his brother, if he told Mason to keep quiet, then he's going to stay quiet."

Tess looked at Cook with a raised brow. "Did you know?"

He went silent for a moment and glanced at the ground. "Yeah, I found out just after we visited his mum."

She slapped him across the face, she shocked herself with the force of her slap, but she had saw red and she couldn't hold herself back. "He's my friend, Cook and you're supposed to be mine too. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because you don't see the bad shit that Luke does so what difference would it have made anyway?" he said as he dragged her to the side of the room, "I've been trying to tell you since day one to get out of that relationship, but you don't listen to me." He let go of her arm and shook his head. "You are turning into him more and more each day. The Tess I was friends with would never have hit me."

She could see how hurt he was by what she did and went to hug him, but he pushed her away. "Cook…"

"Don't touch me, alright?. What has happened to you?" he looked her up and down, shaking his head. "The flashy clothes… The flashy jewellery and that attitude, you're not the girl I fell for. I don't know who this is."

"I'm still me, Cook."

"Nah, you're the exact same as Luke. Just leave me alone for a while, yeah?"

She watched him walk away, feeling deflated. Cook was completely in the right, who was she becoming? She had started to dislike herself for a while but now she didn't even recognise the person she had become.

* * *

When she got back to Luke's house, she was so angry and riled up, she partly blamed Luke for the way she had become. Tess was determined to make him confess to her about what he did to Kyle, she wasn't going to let his actions go unpunished. He was watching something on TV when she came into the house and after she threw her bag and her coat down, she stormed into the living room, switching off the TV.

"Hey! I was watching that." He looked up at her and noticed how furious she looked. He leaned back into the sofa and raised a brow. "What's happened now?"

"Nothing's happened I just want to ask you a couple of things that haven't sat well with me." She folded her arms across her chest.

"Okay?"

"That night I came out of the hospital, what happened?"

He rolled his eyes and got onto his feet, pacing around the room. "This again, really?"

"Yes, really. What did you do? Your hand was all bruised and I know for a fact that you left this house."

"I didn't leave, I punched a wall, Tess. That's all that happened."

She scoffed and shook her head. "I've been thinking, and I've come to a conclusion, I think your bruised knuckles and Kyle's sudden resignation are linked."

"Why would you think that? Was he the one that gave you those pills?" he acted like he didn't already know the truth, he was going to deny having anything to do with Kyle's disappearance.

"He didn't give me them pills, I took them from your desk."

"That's a lie because I'm the only one with the key to my drawer." He took a step towards her, but she took a step back. He laughed under his breath and looked away from her. "You really don't want to start this fight, T."

"You love me, don't you?"

"Of course, I do."

"If you love me as much as you claim to, you'll tell me the truth. Did you do something to Kyle?"

He rolled his eyes and placed his hands over his face in frustration. The way she questioned his feelings towards her pissed him off. He could feel his anger boiling inside him again and it was only a matter of time before he explodes.

"If you really want the truth, then here it is. I beat him senseless and I enjoyed it because he could've killed you, T. The only reason I didn't end his miserable excuse of a life was because he was your friend."

"You do realise that I pressured him into giving me the drugs, if you were going to point the finger at anyone, it should've been me."

"Stop trying to be a martyr for him, he knew what affects those pills had on people and he knew that you had never touched a drug in your life. He should've realised that it was going to harm you."

"I had never killed someone before until you made me do it, you should've known what effect it would've had on me."

"You're really going to put the blame on me after everything that I've given you?" his face became twisted with rage. He was trying so hard not to lunge at her because he didn't want to ruin his relationship with her, but how many more outbursts was he going to have before he slipped back into old habits?

"You took the blame that night in the hospital, or have you forgotten about that? Were you just telling me that to make me feel better or did you really mean it?" When he just stared at her, silent and fighting to find the right words to say, she shook her head and walked out of the room, picking up her things from the hallway.

He followed her out, grabbing onto her arm tightly. "Where are you going?"

"Let go of me Luke." She looked him square in the eyes.

He loosened his grip and repeated, "Where are you going?"

"Back to my flat, I need a couple of days to think about our relationship. You're fucking with my head and going back on the things you've said to me. And then all of this with Kyle… I need time alone." She pulled her arm from his grasp and got out of the house before he could attempt to make her stay.

"Is this your way of breaking things off with me?" he called from the doorway.

"Not yet, I need time to clear my head and see if I can forgive you for what you've done."

He clenched his jaw and ran his hands through his hair. "I'll do whatever it takes to get you back. Mark my words."

"Then show me that you're actually sorry for the things you've done." She looked at him one last time before she left his grounds. She wasn't going to chase after him for an apology or an explanation, if he wanted their relationship to continue, he was going to have to put the work in.


	10. X: Playing Dirty

**Take Me Anywhere**

 **Summary:** It's been two years since Cook left Manchester, still on the run from the law and as desperate as ever to disappear. Everything was simple until he met her; Tess was the definition of the word mayhem. Can he survive in her world or can he pull her into his?

 **X: Playing Dirty**

* * *

She hadn't left her flat in days; she was living on takeaways and spending all over her time watching talk show re-runs from the comfort of her lumpy sofa. Tess felt miserable, not only was she avoiding Luke and his calls, but Cook wasn't speaking to her either. She felt bad for hitting him and she desperately wanted to apologise to him, but it seemed like he was never home anymore. She hadn't heard a bit of movement from his flat since she came back and if she was right then he was probably sleeping around and spending nights in other people's houses.

Outside was freezing as she crouched down in the corner, trying to shield herself from the wind so that she could light her cigarette. She heard Cook's back door opening and when she stood up, she lay eyes on him for the first time since their fight. He wouldn't even look at her, he couldn't bring himself to do it. He was curious as to why she was here and not with Luke, but he wasn't going to ask her that. Cook was just going to pretend that she wasn't there; it was hard to do especially when he noticed from the corner of his eye that she had moved up to the railing that separated them. She placed one hand on the railing and watched in agony as he ignored her; they had never gone a day without being on good terms and this was torture for her and for him too.

"Cook, I'm sorry for hitting you. I should never have put my hands on you." She watched for a sign that he was going to talk to her, but he just blocked her out. "What happened to Kyle was horrible and you shouldn't have kept it from me, especially when I was living under his roof."

"I was telling you for over a year to leave him, Tess not because I was jealous and not because of my feelings towards you but because of what he was doing to you. Thing that gets me is, you only get mad at him when he's doing it to other people and not you. When he hits you, you probably apologise for pissing him off. You just let him do whatever he wants to you, you've let him away with everything and now he has you wrapped around his little finger. You're a joke, Tess."

"I get that you're angry at me but there's no need to be nasty." Her face screwed up as she tried to keep her tears in her eyes.

"I'm not being nasty, it's the truth. I don't know if it's because you love him or because you're scared of him, but you've become a pushover."

He made eye contact with her which only made her look away from him. Cook couldn't tell if she was hurt because she didn't agree with him or because she knew it was the truth. He didn't like seeing her like this, but she needed to hear it for her own good. She threw her cigarette down and stepped away from the railings as she rubbed her face with the sleeve of her hoodie. He sighed and turned towards her, but she held her hand up, stopping him from climbing over the railing to get at her.

"Don't, you're right with everything that you've said; I love him, but I'm scared of him and all of the things that he does but I'm in too deep." Her head turned to her flat when she heard knocking at her front door. She glanced back at Cook and bit at the skin on her bottom lip. "Just know that I am sorry, and I'll never do that again to you."

He went to say something, but she rushed back into her flat before he had the chance. He tightened his grip on the railing in frustration with himself, if he had have put aside his anger towards that incident in the bar, he could've had her out of Croydon and somewhere safe. He just hoped that he would have another opportunity to get her away from this life.

* * *

He stood in the cold with the biggest bouquet that the florist had as he waited for her to open the door. He could hear her move behind it, but she wasn't going to open it. The way she ignored him drove him crazy, he wanted her back with him and he was determined to make it happen.

"Tess, open the door. Please." He pleaded. "Let's talk about this and sort us out." Luke shifted his weight and repositioned the bouquet as he waited patiently. "I'll stand here all night if I have to, T."

She opened the door slowly and peered out at him from the gap, first looking at the flowers and then to him. "Do you think that showing up here with flowers is showing me how sorry you are for what you said or any of the things that you've done?"

"No, but we need to talk about this and fix our relationship. I love you too much to just let you slip through my fingers. Let me in."

"I'll hear you out, but this is the only chance you've got."

"I'll make it count, trust me." When she opened the door a little more, he slipped in through the crack and handed her the flowers. "Do you mind if I make us some tea?"

She shook her head and put the flowers down. She watched him go into her kitchen while she sat on the sofa, her knees pulled right up to her chest. Tess didn't know what was going to happen, he was going to have to say all the right things to win her back.

* * *

He came back into the living room and handed a cup to her before sitting down on the other end of the sofa. He didn't take his eyes off her and she was looking everywhere but at him. The silence between the two of them was driving him mad, he didn't want to fight with her, he knew that all of this was his fault, but his anger always took control of him.

"I didn't mean what I said to you the other day, I take full blame for the death of Rutherford and I shouldn't have taken that back just because I was angry. Of course, I know that I made you do it and I regret putting you into that position."

Her eyes roamed towards his face, he could see how much their fight took a toll on her by the dark circles under her eyes and the dullness in her usually bright eyes. He put his head down and brought his cup to his lips.

"What about what happened with Kyle? Are you sorry about beating him up?" her voice was so quiet that he just about heard her.

"I did some thinking that night you left, after I smashed up my house…You were right, I shouldn't have beat him and I've spoke to Kyle and gave him my sincerest apologies, whether he accepts them or not, the ball is in his court."

"You apologised to him?"

He looked at her and nodded. "I made a mistake and I want to show you that I meant it when I said that I would do whatever it takes to get you back."

Tess couldn't help but feel conflicted, she had given Luke so many chances to change and it didn't seem to be working but before things started to go wrong between them, she was genuinely happy with him. When it came to her emotions, he never played fair; Luke knew exactly how to manipulate her, and it worked every time. He watched her as the cogs turned in her head and set his cup on the floor. He got up and walked towards her, crouching in front of her with a remorseful look on his face.

"I hope that you find it in your heart to forgive me for everything that I've done."

"Can you give me some time to think about this? My head is spinning right now." She looked away from him and placed her hand on her forehead.

He placed his hand on her knee and gave it a comforting squeeze. "Take all the time you need, I'll be at the club if you want to see me." He got onto his feet and petted the top of her head. "I'll see you later, T."

* * *

He walked out of her flat feeling confident in himself. He was going to get her back, he knew that he was. As he walked by Cook's flat, fixing his jacket he came face to face with the only person that could take her away from him. His confidence diminished slightly.

"Cook, how're you keeping?"

"Better than Tess is." Cook kept up with Luke as he jogged down the flights of stairs.

"So, you're speaking with her again? The whole club was talking about how she smacked you."

"We're not on the best terms but I can tell by her face that you've messed with her head again."

"Again?" he stopped in his tracks and looked at Cook with a raised brow. "What has Tess told you?"

"She doesn't need to tell me anything for me to notice when something's going on with her. I just know her better than you think."

Luke nodded sceptically and moved towards his car. "Well all I can say is, she's never been pissed off with me enough to hit me." He got into the car before Cook could say another word and sped off. He wasn't going to let him get the last word and he wasn't going to let Cook get her.

* * *

She didn't go to the club that night, she hadn't contacted him in days, with everything that Cook said to her still fresh in her mind, Tess knew that she couldn't go running back to Luke, not with everything that he had done to her and Kyle. She knew what she had to do, she had to see if the rumours about Luke were true; was he cheating on her and was he doing it while he was at the snooker hall with his mates?

Any attempt he made to contact her wasn't working; he thought he was making progress with her, but it seemed like he was wrong. He stepped into the snooker hall with a smirk on his face as he greeted his associates, patting each of them on the shoulder before he poured himself a stiff glass of whiskey.

"You're drinking tonight?" One said with a raised brow. "I thought you didn't really drink much anymore since you got that little snack on your arm?"

"You've got to let go sometimes, don't you?" another said as he looked at Luke. "Drink what you want, there's plenty more where that came from."

"What have you got planned, Maxwell?" Luke said suspiciously.

Maxwell snapped his fingers and grinned at the three girls that came out from the back of the room. He couldn't help but feel proud of himself as Luke and Ramone looked over the girls.

"I think I've out done myself this time."

Luke looked at him and shook his head. "You realise that I'm engaged, don't you?"

"And I'm married, what's your point?"

"You're not going to dull this night, are you?" Ramone said as he took one of the girls by the hand. "Didn't think you'd let a bitch take your balls."

Luke glared at Ramone before downing the rest of his drink and pouring himself another. "When's this party starting, then?"

Maxwell shared a grin with Ramone and set up the balls on the table. "That's what I like to hear."

* * *

It was nearly two in the morning and from the music coming from the snooker hall, Tess knew that Luke was inside. She took a long drag from her cigarette as she waited for any sign of him coming out; he would usually be at home by this time, so he had to be leaving soon. She waited for almost an hour before she plucked up the courage to walk into the hall. It was so dark and dodgy in the old hall and the smell of stale cigarette smoke filled her lungs, it was everything she was expecting it to be. She could hear cheering and the sound of the balls smacking off each other as she approached the doors. Once she opened them, she felt all the air leave her lungs; Luke had his arms draped around a brunette with the biggest grin on his face as he buried his head into her neck. When he came back up for air, he locked his eyes onto Tess and let go of the girl immediately. She turned around and stormed out of the hall, running across the car park as fast as she could but was quickly chased down by Luke who pushed her against one of the parked cars.

"What are you doing here, T?" he knew he was caught out, but he couldn't let her leave.

"Get off me." She looked away from him and clenched her jaw as tight as she could. "I wanted to sort out our issues but clearly you've moved on."

He placed his hands on her face, trying to make her look at him but she refused to move her head. "Nothing was happening, it was just a bit of fun."

She closed her eyes and shook her head. "I can't believe you did this, you said you would never do this to me. I can't believe that Frankie was right about you."

He punched the bonnet of the car, just beside her body as he tried to keep his frustration at bay. "Frankie was not right, I wouldn't do that to you. You haven't returned any of my calls in days, T."

"So, it's my fault? If I hadn't have shown up, what would you have done with that girl?" Tess finally found the courage to look him in the eye.

"Nothing, I love you and I told you that I wouldn't cheat on you."

"Well, that looked like cheating to me." She pushed him away from her and walked away from him.

He clenched his fists and followed her towards the street. "Just stop and talk to me."

"I'm done talking to you, we're over Luke. I could've put what happened with Kyle down to your anger management but this, I can't forgive that. I'm not going to let you play me." She waved him off and stared down at the floor as she continued to step away from him.

He jogged up behind her and in a disastrous split-second decision, decided to grip her by the hair. He pulled her close to him and stared down at her as she glared up at him. "I tell you when it's over, I decide when this relationship ends. Got it?" he let her go, pushing her away roughly as he recomposed himself. "Go home and when I'm done here we'll talk about this." He turned on his heel and marched back to the hall, glancing over his shoulder at Tess as she stood there, shocked by the vicious way he grabbed her. He had crossed a line this time.

* * *

The moment she got into her flat, she let out all the emotions she had been building up. It was a mixture between a sob and a scream when it finally left her body and as she packed away her things into a suitcase, she took the engagement ring from her finger and threw it against the wall. She ignored the banging at her door and zipped up her bag, dragging it into the front of the flat. When she opened the door, she saw Cook standing there with the concern written all over his face. He noticed the bag and chewed the inside of his cheek.

"What's going on Tess?"

"I'm done here, I'm done with everything. I need to get out of this shithole." She pushed her way out of the flat, pulling the heavy suitcase while slamming the door shut.

"Wait a moment, come into my flat and let's talk about this. You need to calm down before you make a rash decision."

"I'm not making a rash decision." She stepped towards the staircase but stopped before attempting to pull her bag down the flights ahead of her. "He promised me that he wouldn't touch me…" she looked over her shoulder at Cook and swallowed back her need to cry. "Luke and I are over."

Cook didn't know what to say, he had been waiting for this moment for over a year and now that it was here, he didn't know what to do. He could see how upset she was, and he wasn't going to make a move on her while she was like this. He grabbed her bag and nodded towards his flat.

"Let's talk about this before you runaway, we can talk about what I offered you before."

"I'm going to need something stronger than a cup of tea." She said quietly as she walked into his flat, her arms folded as tightly across her chest as she could get them.

* * *

When she opened up to him about everything that he did; the way he lost it when Frankie annoyed him, the fight they were having and eventually his infidelity and hair pulling; Cook was ready to end Luke. He noticed his hands shaking with anger and balled them into fists; he couldn't let her see him lose his temper, it would probably scare her.

"It was a stupid idea, you know, leaving this city by myself. If you still want to, I want you to take me out of here."

"Where do you want to go?"

She shrugged a little and rested her head in her hands, face down. "I don't care. Anywhere. As long as it's somewhere Luke can't find me."

"I'll go get my things, then."

When Cook stood up, she looked up at him with the slightest hint of a smile. "You'd just drop everything for me?"

"The only thing that kept me here, was you." He kissed the top of her head and stroked her cheek gently before he stepped into his room to pack up his little belongings.

She pursed her lips and looked at the empty space on her finger, she had surprised herself because she didn't feel the slightest twinge of sadness; she was truly done with Luke and his mind games. When Cook came out of his room, a rucksack slung over his shoulder, she gripped her bag and got onto her feet.

"Are you sure you want to runaway with me?" he looked at her and noticed how calm she seemed to be; to her, his face was comforting.

"Of course, take me anywhere."


	11. XI: Gone

**Take Me Anywhere**

 **Summary:** It's been two years since Cook left Manchester, still on the run from the law and as desperate as ever to disappear. Everything was simple until he met her; Tess was the definition of the word mayhem. Can he survive in her world or can he pull her into his?

 **XI: Gone**

* * *

His head was spinning from all the booze he had drank and fragments of the night before started to replay in his head. One moment that he couldn't stop thinking about was Tess' face as she walked into the snooker hall and then the way he chased her down. He looked over at her half of the bed and touched the empty sheets with a sigh. He had no idea what he was going to say to try to get himself out of her bad books; but he knew that he would promise her the world… He would even change his stance on kids if it meant having her back. It didn't seem like it, but she was the only one that kept him calm; before her his anger was much worse. He was so destructive, and he knew that himself. Luke decided that it was time to face the world, he had to make things right with Tess.

He sat outside her apartment for a while, staring up at her window with a frown. He broke his promise to her and he knew that it would take a lot of work to make things right. For the first time in a while, he felt nervous. He bit the bullet and got out of the car and made his way up the flights of stairs slowly, pausing briefly in front of her door. He was hesitating, his fist was hovering at the door. First, he knocked and left it for a few moments but then he pounded at the door.

"Tess, open up. You've got to talk to me about this, we can't just throw everything away." He pressed his ear to the door. He heard nothing. He banged on the door one more time and said, "If I have to kick this door down, I will. You can't just blow me out, T." he took a step back and readied himself. In one sharp kick, he had the cheap door off its hinges. He stepped into the apartment and looked around. There was no sign of her and when he investigated her drawers, they were cleaned out. The panic set in; he knew she was gone but he didn't want to admit it. It wasn't until he felt something under his shoe and saw the engagement ring under his foot that he let his emotions swallow him whole. He rushed out and pressed his face against Cook's window, noticing how there was no movement at his place either. Then he looked for his car, but it was gone too. He ran his hands down his cold face and paced back and forth; Cook had won, he had her and Luke had no idea how he was going to get her back. He needed to find her, but he had no idea where to start. She would have to answer the phone to him, he wouldn't stop calling until she did.

* * *

The drive was long, but they were almost at Newcastle. Cook glanced at Tess in his rear-view mirror, smiling at her as she slept in the back of his taxi. She only woke when the phone in her pocket buzzed obnoxiously loud. Tess sat up and looked at her phone before making eye contact with Cook in the reflection.

"It's him, isn't it?"

She nodded and put her phone down, face down against the seat. "I'm never speaking to him again. He's just going to try and weasel his way back into my life." She stared out the window, letting her anxiousness out with a deep breath. "Can we get something to eat before we get to my dad's house?"

"Of course." He drove around until he found a little café at the side of a service station. He parked the car and got out, waiting for Tess to leave as well but it was like she was frozen. He knocked lightly on her window and raised a brow at her.

She rolled down the window and said lowly. "I just remembered how my face looks; I'm still bruised from Frankie's punch. What if someone thinks you did this? What if they call the police?"

"You worry far too much, people just like to stare and speculate, no one will call the police." When she still wouldn't get out of the car, he placed his hands in his pockets and glanced at the café. "What do you want, and I'll get it to go."

Tess smiled a little and reached into her purse, handing him some money. "Sausage rolls and don't forget the brown sauce."

He took the crisp note warily and nodded. "Stay in the car, I'll be back in a minute."

* * *

Tess threw herself along the back seat of the taxi and stared up at the roof as her phone continued to buzz underneath her. She didn't regret running away with Cook by any means, but she needed that closure from Luke; she needed to let her own anger out, it would only be fair. She had been taking took the brunt of Luke's anger when he grabbed her. So, she went against what she had said herself and answered the phone.

"You finally answered!" he sounded so relieved but so hurt at the same time. "Where are you? I'll come get you and we can sort this mess out, T. I'm so sorry for what I did, I should never have put my hands on you." There was a long silence, but he could hear her heavy breathing. Was she crying or just furious at him? "Please answer me, T."

"We're over so don't try to win me back because it's not going to work."

"Is Cook there? Is he telling you to say this?"

"No, this is me telling you, from my peace of mind that we are done. With everything that you've done to me and the people I care about, did you think that I would just let you talk your way back into my life? I am free of you, just move on with your life and take anger management classes so you can be a better dad to Michael."

"Do you really think that I'm just going to let you live your life without me? You need me."

She sniggered cynically and sat up, watching Cook as he strolled over to the taxi. "Goodbye Luke." She turned her phone off and placed it into her pocket, smiling as the smell of her sausage rolls trickled into the car.

* * *

Tess climbed into the front seat of the taxi as she sucked the brown sauce from her fingertips. She glanced at Cook as he looked at her with a disgusted look. She dropped herself onto the seat and shrugged her shoulders at him and shook the crumbs from her jumper.

"What?"

"I hope you didn't stain the fabric with your sticky fingers. And you've got crumbs all over the floor." He said as he shook his head, inspecting by her feet with a disapproving tone.

"I'll clean it when we get to my dad's, don't throw a fit." She couldn't help but smile at him as she gripped his chin playfully. "Please don't be mad at me."

He raised a brow at her, glancing down at her hand on his face. "I'm glad to see you in a good mood, finally."

"I feel free although I have to admit that I answered the phone to Luke, but I told him it was finished between us." She put on her seatbelt and looked away from her friend. "You're probably going to shout at me, telling me I shouldn't have answered because it's going to piss him off, but I needed to get everything off my chest so that I can move on."

"If you're happy, then I can't really complain." He started the car and pulled out of the parking lot.

"I'm starting to feel like myself again, and I don't mean the girl that I was when I was with him, but the Tess that used to make you dinners and watch shitty gameshows."

He glanced at her, catching the way she was smiling, and it made him feel relief. He had been worried about how she was feeling; part of him was scared that she would beg him to take her back to Luke or that she would be crying for weeks straight, but this was better. He could tell by the glisten that returned to her eyes that she was experiencing freedom for the first time in a year. Tess wasn't going to be manipulated and controlled anymore.

* * *

He parked outside the semi-detached house that Gerard and his family lived in, in a quiet area just outside Newcastle city; he knew he had the right house because his Range Rover was parked right by the door. While Tess approached the door, Cook lifted their belongings out of the boot. He was waiting for them and before Tess could even knock, Gerard had the door opened and had swept her into a comforting embrace. Cook slowed his pace down to let them have their moment together; he wasn't going to get in between a worried father and his daughter.

"Please tell me he didn't do this to you." Gerard whispered in his daughter's ear. He had no idea about what happened between Luke and Tess, but he had his suspicions that he hurt her, Cook had confessed about the bruises he saw a year ago and his worry kept him awake most nights. Especially since her overdose.

"No, although I can't say he was exactly gentle with me." He looked up at her dad with a small, sheepish smile. "But it's over now and that's all that matters."

"For good?"

"Forever." She said powerfully, glancing over at Cook. "I'm sure you're pleased to see your buddy."

"Of course," he stepped away from Tess and took one of the bags from Cook's grasp and replaced the empty space with his hand, shaking Cook's approvingly, "I can't thank you enough for getting Tess out of that shithole."

Cook looked at Tess with a teasing smile. "It only took a year of convincing."

"I'm stubborn, what can I say?" she stepped into the house and was greeted by her half-sister. She picked up the toddler and gave her a comforting hug. "Missed you Sammy."

Gerard watched for a brief moment and ushered Cook into his home. "Miranda's out at the shops with her mother, since I told her you were coming, she's been so excited. She said something about girly bonding."

Tess made a face while her back was turned and patted down Samantha's messy hair. "Looking forward to it. So, where are Cook and I sleeping?"

"I've had a room waiting for you, just in case you decided to escape London. The two of you can sleep in there."

She turned around and raised a brow at her father and then to Cook. "In the same room? You know we aren't together, right?"

"If you were together, you definitely wouldn't be in the same room. Besides, there's two single beds there."

"Well, I'll go put our bags in our room, then." Cook flashed Tess a teasing smile as he dragged both of their bags up the stairs. He paused at the top of the stairs, eavesdropping on the conversation he missed the start of.

* * *

"Why not, Tess? He's a good lad and he'd treat you right. Unlike that other asshole."

"I love him, and I know there was a time that he loved me too, but a lot happened between us, we fell out, he saw the bad side of me and I messed him around, I just fucked with his emotions when I shouldn't have… I don't know if he feels the same way." Cook heard her sigh and furrowed his brows as he tried to catch a peek at the expression on her face from the landing. "I just can't jump straight into another relationship, I don't want to ruin things with Cook."

"Everything can be fixed, the two of you have been friends for a while and the chemistry is there. If there was anyone that would get my seal of approval, it's him. I know that you would be in safe hands with him, he's been looking out for you since day one and I just want to let you know that just in case something happens. I want you to be happy, I need to see you smile again."

"I love you dad," he watched her put an arm around Gerard and rest her head on his shoulder before handing her sister over to him, "I'll go up and help Cook unpack."

He quickly moved into their room and put his bag on the bed he claimed for himself. When she walked into the room, she smiled at him and closed the door over.

"I thought I'd give you the bed with the drawers beside it." He said with a shrug as he unzipped his bag.

"Leave that, I'll unpack for you. I'm sure you're exhausted after all that driving." She sat on the bed and regarded him with a concerned look on her face.

"I'm alright, Tess. You're forgetting that my body's all messed up from working through the night. I don't really get a lot of sleep." He started to take out his clothes, folding them as best he could. He heard her get up from the bed and when she pushed him out of the way, he laughed. "What're you doing?"

"You're folding them all wrong." She looked up at him with a teasing smirk. "I'll do this, just please try to get some sleep." Tess took the rest of his things away from his bed and made a start on his bag.

He kicked off his shoes and took off his T-shirt, throwing it at her head before he climbed into bed. "Could you fold that while you're at it?"

She looked over her shoulder at him and raised a brow. "You would wear that again without washing it? Seriously?"

"Yeah, it smells alright."

Tess shook her head and threw it into the empty laundry basket. "Definitely not, Cook."

"And just like that, you're right back to looking after me." He closed his eyes and put his arms behind his head; Tess was right, he needed to get some rest.

"I'll always look after you." When he didn't reply, she turned to see that he was out like a light. Tess tiptoed over to him and placed a delicate kiss on his forehead before making her way out of the room quietly. She appreciated everything he did for her, he was putting himself at risk by being here with her. The least she could do was give him a bit of peace.

* * *

He woke up alone in the strange room, but he could hear Tess' voice downstairs and the smell of spaghetti filled the house. He got out of bed slowly and looked around for a T-shirt to put on. He inspected the drawers noticing how neatly she put his clothes away, it was a shame that he would have it messed up within a day; Cook had always been messy. When he was changed, he made his way downstairs and followed the noise that the Donovan's made. In the reflection of one of the china cabinets, he noticed how normal things looked; Miranda served them all the spaghetti she prepared while Tess kept her little sister entertained. They all froze when Cook walked into the room, he still looked worn out.

"Cook, glad to see you're joining us for dinner." Gerard said, he looked at his wife. "This is the fella I was telling you about."

Miranda looked at him with a pleased look on her face. "Lovely to meet you, I'm Miranda."

Cook glanced at Tess as she rolled her eyes a little, he didn't really understand why she wasn't keen on Miranda, but he liked her. "Nice to meet you too." He sat across from Tess and kicked her playfully under the table. Her smirk made him hide his cheeky smile as her parents looked between them.

"Are you hungry?" Miranda made her way around the table to him.

"I'm starving."

"Do you like spaghetti?"

"Cook eats everything." Tess answered for him as she started to twirl her fork in the pasta. "I haven't saw him turn anything down yet."

"You'll be an easy mouth to feed then." Miranda joked as she filled his plate.

"So, where are the two of you planning on going once you leave here?" Gerard asked as Miranda finally sat down to her own meal. He could tell that his question had taken Tess by surprise because she almost choked on her dinner.

"I wasn't planning on leaving here for a while." She admitted.

"You're not out of the woods just yet, Tess." He informed her. "How long do you think it'll take Luke to realise that you're here?"

Cook's eyes roamed to her as she ran her fingers through her hair, gripping at the root. He hadn't really thought about it either, he was going to go wherever she wanted to go.

"Call it naivety, but I didn't think he'd come looking for me." She sighed and looked up at Cook. "Have you any ideas?"

"I'll have to give it a think."

"I don't want you to get mad at me, but when I came home after meeting Luke, I knew things weren't going to end well between the two of you so, I started making a few preparations." Gerard pushed his plate back and rested his elbows on the table. "I've some money set aside for you and a car to get you somewhere far away from London. He'll find the taxi if you keep driving it."

"You shouldn't have, dad."

"I had to do something. The money can go to rent until the two of you find jobs." Her father's tone changed as he tried to find the best way to break his news to his daughter. "I was going to tell you sooner, but with everything that was going on with you, I couldn't find the right time."

"What is it?" she looked at her father first then looked at Miranda as she ducked her head. "Spit it out."

"We're moving to Spain. I've got a new job, a better job over there. I would've got the two of you tickets if I had of known sooner."

She nodded and tried not to show how bothered she was by his news. Tess knew that her father had a new family and that she was old enough to look after herself; she just didn't like the idea of her father being in a different country.

"When do you leave?"

"Two weeks."

"What's going to happen to this house?"

"We sold it privately. They're going to take everything. I wanted to tell you Tess, I just never had the perfect chance."

She nodded and looked away from him. Tess could feel Cook's sympathetic gaze on her. "I understand, I was a mess when you came to visit. I've been a mess for a year. I hope you enjoy Spain, Cook and I will look after each other." She looked at him and met his eyes. "Won't we?"

"Always." He replied.

"Stay here for a couple of days and lay low. I'll get rid of the taxi and get my mate to bring round the new car. It's nothing fancy, it's old but reliable. It can't be traced to any of us."

Cook wondered how Gerard was able to sort all of this out for them, but then he remembered that he was ex-military; he probably had contacts everywhere.

"We appreciate it, Gerard. Thank you."

Tess tipped her head back and excused herself from the table. Cook watched her as she rushed out of the room, she was letting her emotions get the better of her and she was overthinking things. He needed to make sure she was okay, that she wasn't having second thoughts about this. He wanted her to stay alive.


	12. XII: The First Step

**Take Me Anywhere**

 **Summary:** It's been two years since Cook left Manchester, still on the run from the law and as desperate as ever to disappear. Everything was simple until he met her; Tess was the definition of the word mayhem. Can he survive in her world or can he pull her into his?

 **XII: The First Step**

* * *

The thought that Tess was regretting her choice to leave Croydon and Luke behind was eating away at him, he couldn't bear to see her get hurt anymore and he had no idea what he was going to do if she demanded to be taken back. But he was letting his fear rule him as he listened to her cry through the bathroom door. She wouldn't open the door when he knocked but once she heard his voice, she unlocked the door and pulled him in, locking it behind her once more. He frowned when he saw the tears stream down her face and without hesitation, he helped her wipe them away.

"Speak to me Tess, what's got you so upset?"

She looked up at him and tucked her hands into the sleeves of her jumper. "This is going to sound so selfish, but I don't want my dad to leave and start a new life with Miranda and Samantha in Spain. I'm his daughter too and it feels like I'm being left behind."

He smoothed down her hair before letting her cry on his shoulder. He understood where she was coming from, he had been abandoned so many times by his own parents, they failed him, but this wasn't what was happening with Tess; Gerard had done a good job raising Tess and now he had to do the same for his other daughter.

"He's not starting a new life; you know that your dad loves you more than anyone possibly could." Cook didn't know what else to say to her, he had never been good at this sort of thing.

"I know he does; he's been good to me. I guess that my feelings are deep rooted; I've always felt like second best since Miranda had my sister."

"He's just trying to give her all the things that you had when you were growing up; you've had a lot more time with your father than Samantha has." He ran his thumb across her cheek when she pulled her head away from him. "You've had an extra twenty years than she has."

"It's just harder because all I've had is my dad and he's not going to be a couple of hours away anymore. I have no idea who my mum is, if she's alive or dead… If she wanted me or not." Tess sighed and peeled her eyes away from Cook's face. "I'm such a narcissist."

"I have no idea what that is, but you're not that." Her smile made him smile. Tess probably thought he was an idiot, but he didn't mind too much. She could think whatever she wanted about him, if it stopped her tears from falling, then that's all that mattered.

"I think it's time that I find out who my mother is, soon I'm not going to have my dad to turn to because if we flounder out there, Luke will find me, and I don't want that to happen." She took in a deep breath and turned to the mirror, fixing her make up with the back of her fingers. "I just hope he tells me about her... And that she takes us in…"

"You have the right to know who your mother is, he will tell you. Just prepare yourself for anything."

"Thanks for checking up on me, Cook. I appreciate it." She looked at him sincerely and stepped towards him, hugging him as tightly as she could. "Will you do me a huge favour?"

"It depends what it is." He rested his head on hers, enjoying the feeling of having her safely in his arms.

"Will you be with me when he tells me about my mother?"

"Are you sure you want me there? Maybe this is something you have to do by yourself."

"I need you there, it's not a matter of wanting. You're keeping me sane through all of this shit."

"If it's what you want then I'll be there, I'll always be there."

* * *

It took a bit of convincing, but Gerard finally agreed to tell Tess about her mother; he waited for Samantha to go to sleep and joined Cook and Tess in the living room. It was the first time that Cook had ever saw him nervous, Gerard always seemed stoic and hard to read. But what else was he expecting? The story of Tess' mother was probably hard for him to tell.

"Are you one hundred per cent sure that you want to know about your mother? You've never asked about her before." Gerard asked as he sat in his favourite armchair.

"I think it's time that I know. I've never asked because I've never felt like I needed her." Her voice cracked a little, the emotions were sitting in her throat ready to spill out. Cook placed his hand in hers and gave it a little squeeze. It reassured her. "But you need to live your life with Miranda and Samantha, and I need a parent that's going to be there when I need them."

Gerard ran his hands down his face then clasped his hands in front of him. It was hard enough for him to speak about Tess' mother, he felt so much anger towards her, but Tess's words hurt him more than she was expecting them too.

"I met your mother while she was on holiday in Southampton just after I joined the army. We hit it off and had a relationship for a few years, and we would write letters to each other while I was out of the country. Every time I came home, I would stay with her at her home in Edinburgh. I came back for a long weekend and she told me that she was pregnant with you, but she didn't want to be with me anymore. I was gone far too much, and it wasn't fair on her, but her pregnancy made things difficult between us; I didn't want to break things off, I thought it would be better if we raised you together, but she disagreed… Our relationship didn't end on good terms."

"Did my mother want me?"

"Yeah, she wanted you more than anything. She had you for a couple of months, but she got into trouble. Your mother got into a bad relationship and her boyfriend at the time got her addicted to drugs. She wrote to me and told me that she couldn't look after you anymore, that she couldn't cope so, I dropped out of the military and came home to raise you by myself."

She ducked her head and closed her eyes; Tess couldn't help but feel guilty, it was only a few months ago that she had overdosed and that probably terrified her father after what her mother went through.

"Where is she now? Did she ever try to get in contact with you?"

Gerard shook his head and let out a sigh. "She stayed with that guy for a few years before they broke up. As far as I know, she went to rehab and moved to Glasgow, but I haven't heard anything since then."

"What's her name?"

"Evelyn Munroe."

"Do you know anything else about her?"

"I heard through the grapevine that she had another child once she got herself sorted but I don't know anything else."

Tess let go of Cook's hand and stepped towards her father, leaning down to embrace him; she could see that talking about Evelyn was hard for him, it was hard for her too, she was learning about the other half to her for the first time.

"Are you going to try to find her?" he whispered.

"It would be the perfect way to lay low; Luke has no idea about her, he wouldn't be able to find me." She stood up straight and placed her hands in the pockets of her jeans. "That is, if she takes me in."

Gerard nodded and rested his head against hers. It wasn't possible for him to keep Tess all to himself anymore, she wasn't a little girl; sometimes he struggled to remember that. "She'll take you in. Evelyn didn't raise you but she's still your mother; she'll want you to be safe."

* * *

It was hard for her to sleep that night; she was upset that her dad was ditching her for a sunny life in Spain and the information that she got about her mother made her head spin. She rolled over and looked towards Cook's bed. She didn't know if he was awake or not, he hadn't moved in a while and he too was very quiet. She took the socks from her feet and balled them up, launching them towards him. He protested with a noise and turned his head towards her.

"Was there a need?" he asked as he threw them back towards her.

"I just wanted to know if you were awake or not." She whispered. "I can't sleep."

"Have you tried to?"

"Yes," she lied, "my head's just spinning."

He pushed himself against the wall, making some space for her in the single bed and waved her over. She climbed in beside him and rested her head on his chest, securing her arm around him.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he rested his head on hers; he liked having her close to him.

"I don't know if I should look for her or not, I thought that she would've at least asked dad about me once or twice."

"Maybe she was just embarrassed."

"Maybe… And I could have another brother or sister…"

"This one would be closer to your age." He pointed out, he didn't know if that made things better or worse in her mind, but she seemed to breeze past it.

"They could be the way to finding her. I'd just need to find out their first name."

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Have you thought about what we're going to do when we have to leave here?"

She looked up at him, her chin tucked underneath his. "I want to start a life in a nice town, somewhere where Luke will never think of looking. And I want to start that life with you, if you still feel the same way as I do."

His mouth curled a little as he gazed down at her. "Of course, I still feel the same. My feelings for you haven't just disappeared."

"Do you think you could ever live a simple life?"

"A life with you wouldn't be simple, you're too extraordinary."

* * *

With a grin, she wriggled up the bed until she was level with him and moved her face closer to his. Tess let her lips brush against his before she kissed him. When she placed her hand on his chest, she could feel his heartbeat quicken and her own did the same when his hands trailed along her spine. Their bodies were pressed together and there wasn't much room to move, but they didn't care because being in this embrace was everything they were waiting for. She peeled the tank top from her body and helped him take the little shorts she had around her waist. He got on top of her and moved his head towards her neck, taking in the remnants of her sweet perfume. This was everything he had been waiting for, she was what he had been waiting for and he couldn't fuck it up.

It was hard to sleep in the single bed with Tess, she tended to sprawl herself out, obviously oblivious to the limited space each of them had. He wasn't that tired anyway, he had spent most of the day sleeping so, he took the time to think about their next move. He already had a fair sum saved that could support them for a while but with that bonus of her father's money, they could do anything. He knew Tess too well; she would go back and forth between the idea of finding her mother and surviving without her. If she decided against finding her, they needed to move to another big city; the amount of times Cook escaped his problems in a fast-paced environment just proved how easy it was to accomplish this. He couldn't plan their next move until she made up her mind; this wasn't just Cook's life anymore and he wasn't going to just think of himself, he wasn't going to fuck up another relationship or another person. He was going to have his head screwed on. As he gazed down at her, he realised what it was like to care for another person more than himself, even though it scared him, he was going to do whatever it took to make sure she was safe.

* * *

Being without Tess drove him mad, he couldn't think straight, and he had turned to his old coping mechanisms to get through his days. He had sent people out to look for Cook's taxi with strict instructions to bring him back alive, hurt but alive. Tess was to remain unharmed, if she was found.

He sat in his empty club at a table with a bottle of vodka in easy reach as he waited for an old friend to make an appearance and when the doors swung open, he jumped out of his chair and held out his hand.

"Good to see you Louie, would've been better if the circumstances were different."

Louie took his hand, shaking it firmly before sitting down. "Yeah I've heard a bit about your predicament. Seems like Cook's back to doing what he does best, going for girls that are spoken for."

"I didn't realise he'd done the same to you until one of my men put two and two together and came up with him."

"Yeah, well he did more than just steal my girl. He tried to fuck with me and almost succeeded." He watched as Luke poured him a drink and played with the glass, rolling it between his hands. "I wish you had of told me sooner that he was here. I would've been down like a whippet."

"If anything happened to him while Tess and I were together, she'd never forgive me."

"I would've eliminated the threat in your relationship without her even knowing."

"Yeah, telling me that now when she ain't here isn't going to help me." He sipped at his own drink; he was trying to appear as if he was in control of himself, but Louie wasn't stupid.

"You think I can find him, don't ya?"

"The people I've sent after him, he used to work here, and I think some of them are rooting for him and her. I wasn't the best to her, some of them saw that."

"You want someone that hates his guts to go after him." Louie leaned in towards Luke with a sadistic smirk on his face. "I'm the one to do that."

"When you find him, you can do whatever you want to him just leave him alive." Luke lit up a cigarette, pulling the smoke back in through his nose as he nodded at his friend. "I'm the one that puts a bullet in that fucker's skull."

"I'll pay you to let me do it."

He shook his head slowly. "No, the honour will be mine."

"Right, well tell me all you know about him and about your girl and I'll sniff them out."

Luke sat forward; his hands placed on the table. "If you find them, swear to me that you and your men won't lay a finger on her, no matter what."

Louie raised a brow, he was ready to murder Charlie himself for running off with Cook, but it seemed as if Luke was ready to put everything behind him if he could just have her back. It was foolish for him to think that everything would go back to normal if Cook was out of the equation, but with the way Luke was eyeballing him, it was best for Louie to keep his suggestions to himself.

"She'll remain unharmed. Not a hair out of place."


	13. XIII: Family Connections

**Take Me Anywhere**

 **Summary:** It's been two years since Cook left Manchester, still on the run from the law and as desperate as ever to disappear. Everything was simple until he met her; Tess was the definition of the word mayhem. Can he survive in her world or can he pull her into his?

 **XIII: Family Connections**

* * *

The past few weeks with her father had gone in far too quickly; most of the time she helped him get their furniture packed up and shipped off or travelling with Cook to find a cheap car to get them to Glasgow. Now, today was the day that she was going to have to say goodbye to her dad for a while and go back on the run. She stood on the porch, her arms folded across her chest tightly as she watched Gerard bring the last box out of the house and put it into the boot of his car. He looked over with a sad sort of smile and motioned for her to come over. He placed his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in close.

"I'm going to miss you, much more than you know." He whispered in her ear and placed a kiss on the side of her hair. "You know that you can come and visit me whenever you want."

She nodded and pressed her lips together. "I just don't know if Cook can leave the country. Is it even safe for him?"

Gerard's eyes flitted over to Cook as he locked the front door of the house. "I can get in contact with an old army buddy, get him some new documentation."

"That would be great, means that Luke has the whole world to search through to find me." She took in a deep breath and dropped her head. "I have a horrible feeling that he's closing in."

"That feeling will wear off, you need to stop looking over your shoulder. It's going to slow you down." He tilted her head up so that she could look him in his eye. "If he ever comes near you again, you call me, and I'll be there as quick as I can."

"If I had of been doing this by myself, I would've been caught by now. Thankfully, Cook knows how to look after me."

"Take care of each other."

"Don't worry Gerard," Cook said as he approached them, his hand finding its place between her shoulder blades, "I'm going to keep her happy and safe." He looked down at Tess, the corner of his mouth turning up. "I don't want to rush you, but we should hit the road if we want to get to Glasgow by tonight."

She nodded and threw herself into her father's arms once more. "I love you." She said into his chest.

He squeezed her tight and let her go, watching as she leaned into the car to give Samantha a kiss on her head. "Call me when you get to Glasgow."

She nodded and followed Cook to their newish car. "I will, I promise."

* * *

Their journey was going to be long, but this car had a lot more space to stretch out and get comfortable. Tess was being very quiet, and it wasn't like her. He was starting to feel a bit worried. He knew that she was sad about her father emigrating and probably scared to come face to face with the woman who gave her up. With his free hand, he reached across and placed his hand on hers.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Talk about what?" she turned to him and clutched his hand.

"Whatever's got you so silent for a change." He smiled at her, his brows raising to a point.

"You're very funny." She remarked before letting out a sigh. "I've been trying not to think of my mother because when I do, I get a little angry. So, I've been thinking about us."

"Well, tell me about your thoughts."

"What am I to you?"

"You're Tess."

"Cook, I'm being serious. Like, what do you think about me? Are we official?"

"So, you want to have _the talk._ " He let go of her hand and returned it to the steering wheel.

"We've been stuck in limbo for weeks and I need to know what we are for my own sanity."

"You know how I feel about you, I've made myself clear long before we left Croydon. To me, you're perfect and there's no one that I'd rather be with than you." He glanced at her, catching her eye. "How do you feel about me?"

"I've kept my feelings towards you bottled up for so long and now I feel like I can finally let them out. I told you that I didn't want to start a relationship with you while I was still with Luke and now that I'm free of him, I just want to start things off with you." Her teeth grazed her lip as she turned her head away from him. "If you still want to."

"Are you ready to jump headfirst into another relationship?"

"I'm ready to be with you, I mean we've been sleeping together for weeks now and I want to take the next step."

He let out a small laugh and grinned at her. "So, what you're saying is, you want to be my girlfriend?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Then I want to hear you say those words."

Tess furrowed her brows at him, turning in her seat to face him. "Are you actually having a laugh?"

"No, I'm being very serious. Tell me what you want."

She rolled her eyes playfully and gripped her seatbelt. "James Cook, I want nothing more than to be your girlfriend."

His face became stoic and firm; his heart had been played with by Tess for so long that he was going to have his fun while he had her in the palm of his hand.

"You know, I'm going to have to think about it."

Tess' jaw dropped, but she still couldn't help but smile. "Is this your revenge?"

"I'm taking this matter very seriously." He turned his head slightly towards her while keeping his eyes fixed on the road ahead. "Don't I look serious?"

"Cook, you're killing me here."

"You already know my answer; look at where we are. Why would I go on the run with you if I didn't want to be with you?"

Tess leaned into her seat, placing her feet on the edge as she watched his face change from the fake seriousness into happiness. "I'm your girlfriend, aren't I?"

"Of course, you are and I'm your boyfriend. So, can we please put this conversation to bed now?"

Tess felt a warmth in her chest, a feeling that she hadn't felt since before she murdered Jack Rutherford or since she took those pills. She was genuinely thrilled, and Cook was the reason for it.

"Okay… Boyfriend."

* * *

Luke had to use his sister's phone to check out Tess' social media profile. Her first activity in weeks was to block him and it infuriated him. To make things worse, her new profile picture was a selfie of Cook kissing her on the cheek. They looked very closely, too close for Luke's liking. He was losing her too quickly and he still had no idea where she was. His alliance with Louie wasn't working out how he had planned but at least he was on the ground trying to sniff them out as Luke tried to keep up appearances. He just wished Louie would find her a bit faster.

"Daddy, Toby took my teddy from me!" Michael cried, throwing himself into Luke's arms.

"What have I told you baby?" he cradled him, wiping the large tears from his eyes. "You go back in there and you take it back." Luke got onto his feet, keeping Michael on his hip. "Never let anyone take anything off you." He nodded at him and waited for his son to return the nod. Once he did, he set him down and watched him run back into the playroom that his mother had set up for the grandkids. He walked into the kitchen to join his parents and his older sister, Lauren, handing her back the phone.

"Did you make the call?"

"What call?" he took a seat beside her at the table, placing his head into his hands.

"You said you had no credit on your phone…" she looked at him with a raised brow.

"Oh, yeah I didn't go through." He ran his hands across his face and looked up at his mother as she cradled a hot cup of tea. "Did you make me one?"

"I'll make you one now." She replied with a smile.

"So, son, where's this fiancée of yours? I was half expecting Tess to come with you." His father said as he gazed over his newspaper at him.

"Yeah, you haven't said a word about her. When we asked you to come down here, we wanted you to bring her too." Lauren said with a smirk. She had a fair idea that Tess wasn't in the picture anymore. "Unless she's broke it off with you already."

"Fuck off Lauren, maybe you should focus on raising your kid right instead of criticising my life." He was annoyed. How dare she try to embarrass him in front of their parents.

"I will not tolerate this nonsense in my house." His mother said as she handed the cup over to Luke sharply. "Act your age. Both of you." She let out a sigh and handed a biscuit over to Luke. "Is she still with you or not?"

He stared down at the table as he dipped his biscuit into the tea. "No, we broke up. But I'm doing what I can to make things right."

"Looks like she's got a new boyfriend." Lauren turned her phone around to him and raised a brow. "There was no call, you were just using my phone to stalk her."

"I'm heartbroken, alright?" he stood up and set his hand down against the kitchen table, resting his weight on his arm. "I fucked up and I was curious to see if she was doing okay." He was lying, not knowing where she was, was killing him and he needed to know if Cook had stolen her like Luke knew he would.

"Right, we'll not talk about her, son." His father finally put down his newspaper and looked between his two kids. "Let's just enjoy a quiet Sunday as a family." He got out of the chair slowly and stepped over to Luke, placing his hands on his shoulders. Luke lowered himself back into the chair, tense under his father's hands. "I'm sorry that things didn't work out." He said lowly before returning to his spot at the head of the table.

Luke stared at the wood and swallowed back his pain with the hot tea. "I'll get her back, it's not the end of us; it can't be." His phone buzzed in his pocket and as he read the text from Louie, his stomach sunk even lower.

* * *

"What do you mean they're gone?" he paced around his mother's garden with a cigarette stuck between his fingers. He was already on his third and there was no sign of him stopping his chain.

"I got to her father's house and it's empty. That's what I mean when I say gone."

"What about the taxi? Did you find Cook's car?"

"Yeah, I found it, but it wasn't him driving it. Some fat bloke bought it and he wouldn't tell me anything else."

"When did he buy it?"

"About a week or two ago." Louie sighed through the phone. "Newcastle is a dead end now, mate."

Luke moved the phone from his ear, his face twisted with anger. How could they have slipped through the cracks? Now he had no idea where they were. "Right, I'll work something out. Just stay in Newcastle a little longer, just in case Tess and Cook haven't left yet."

"Will do."

Once the phone was disconnected, he finished his cigarette and flicked it against the fence. His fingers gripped onto the ends of his hair as he paced back and forth. "Fuck!" he shouted, his body vibrating; he didn't like losing, especially when it came to Tess. Right now, he was fighting an uphill battle and he was determined to win. He just needed to think rationally. He had to think like Tess.

* * *

Now that they were in Glasgow, the couple didn't waste any time. They had already been to a registry and got a lead on the other half of her family. She sat on their hotel room bed, staring at the envelope that contained a copy of her brother's birth certificate. She still didn't know his name, but Tess was told that Evelyn had had a son. Cook was leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets, watching her as she sat frozen. He cleared his throat which made her jump a little.

"Are you going to open it?"

She chewed the inside of her cheek and picked up the envelope. "I guess so." She opened it up and slid the certificate out, reading over it in depth. Her heart was beating so fast that she could hear it in her ears. She was a step closer to her mother and part of her was terrified while the other part was excited. For as long as she could remember, Tess had always wondered what her mother looked like and soon she'd not only be able to see her but fill in the blanks that had left her confused for her whole life.

"What's his name, Tess?" he asked quietly as he moved away from the wall.

"Asher."

He took Tess' phone from the bedside table and searched for her brother online. Within moments, he had his profile up and brought Tess face to face with her younger brother. "There he is."

She took the phone from his hands and stared down at his face; they looked nothing alike and seemed nothing alike. Asher was into heavy metal and had his hair dyed black. He wore leather jackets and had his ears stretched. She wondered if it was really him or someone else with the same name. She knew it was him when she found her mother on his friends list.

"Oh my god, I found Evelyn." She grinned up at Cook as she swiped through her pictures. Tess always thought she looked like her father until she saw her mother. They were almost identical. She wanted to send her a message, but anything she had to say to her, she wanted to say to her face. Not over text.

He placed his hands on her shoulders, massaging them gently. "What do you want to do now?"

"I need to find Asher, when I find him, he can take us to Evelyn."

"Where shall we start?"

She scrolled through Asher's profile, noticing how every picture he was tagged in was from Glasgow nightclubs. If she was going to find him, she would have to go in hope of running into him.

"We hit up every party in the city until I find him."


	14. XIV: Connected

**Take Me Anywhere**

 **Summary:** It's been two years since Cook left Manchester, still on the run from the law and as desperate as ever to disappear. Everything was simple until he met her; Tess was the definition of the word mayhem. Can he survive in her world or can he pull her into his?

 **XIV: Connected**

* * *

 _Two months later…_

The past couple of months had been mostly a drunken haze as the couple ventured in and out of clubs looking for Asher. Time had escaped her and now, the anticipation made it feel like her life was coming to a standstill. She thought it would be easy, but Tess had no idea how hard it was to find one person in a sea of countless others. Her and Cook had been going in between four nightclubs that she knew her brother had been to before but there was no luck. She felt hopeless, that she was never going to find her mother but then Cook ran into someone that knew Asher and that's when her luck started to change.

They were led to a house party in a student flat near the nightclub they were at. They could hear the music thumping from a street away. She placed her hand in Cook's and glanced up at him; he was starting to become the Cook that she knew before Luke, he was a lot happier and he seemed to be enjoying himself, living in the party. Tess couldn't and she felt like she was stopping him from fully enjoying himself. She liked the clubs at the beginning but then she had to stop; she was keeping a secret from him and it was hard to find the right moment to tell him.

"How do you know he's going to be here?" Cook asked the stranger as they climbed the stairwell. He was that buzzed that he hadn't noticed that Tess was lagging him.

"It's his party, he's going to be here." The lad looked over his shoulder and stopped in his place. Tess was leaning on the railings, pale in the face and holding her stomach. "Is your girl alright?"

Cook turned and jogged down the stairs towards her. "Tess, what's wrong?"

"I'm fine, I just feel like I'm going to be sick." Her eyes rolled up towards him and a shallow breath escaped her chest. "I just feel so nervous."

"We'll see you up there." He called out to their new acquaintance. Cook waited for him to leave them and sat down unsteadily on the cold stairs. He patted the space beside him and helped her down. "Tell me what's going on in that head of yours."

"What if he doesn't like me? What if he tells me something that I don't want to hear?" she bit her lip to stop it from trembling. Tess felt so emotional and she was finding it hard to keep it under control.

"Like what?"

"Like she died or something or that she doesn't want to know me."

"I think you're panicking," the way she was breathing was concerning him. He wasn't sure if she was going to stay conscious or not, "you need to relax. You're over thinking."

"It's not just Asher that's got me freaked out."

"Are you still worrying about Luke? It's been months. If he was going to find us, he would've found us by now." He smiled down at her, his fingers resting on her jaw. "We're in the clear, there's no need to look over our shoulders anymore."

"To be honest, I forgot all about him." She rested her head on his shoulder and looked up at him. She could tell by his face that he was a bit confused. It didn't take much to confuse him when he was this drunk.

"Then what is it?" his tone changed; he was quieter.

"I'll tell you in the morning, when you're sober." She moved to get up, but he placed his hand on her shoulder and guided her back down.

"No, you're worrying me."

"If I tell you now, it's going to change everything."

He furrowed his brow and swivelled on the metal so that he could give her his full attention. "What do you mean by everything?"

"Us. Where we go next. Our whole word will never be the same."

"Do you… Do you want us to go our separate ways or am I reading this all wrong?"

She cradled his face in her palms and smiled at him for a moment. "No, Cook. I don't want to break things off with you. You're the only thing that's keeping me from falling apart." She took her hands away from her face and placed them in her lap. Tess had no idea how to tell him because she didn't know how he was going to react. "I'm… We're," she let out a sigh and tipped her head back, "We're having a baby."

"What? Are you sure?" her news wore off the effects of the alcohol sharply.

"Well I took six tests and they all came back positive." She stuck her hand into her bag and presented him with one of her many pregnancy tests. From the corner of her eye, she watched as he inspected it.

"How far along are you?"

"Between six and eight weeks. I won't know until I see the doctor."

* * *

He didn't know what to say or how to feel. They were living in a one bedroom flat above a Chinese takeaway and were running out of money. Having a baby now, it was the completely wrong time, but he couldn't help but feel a bit of warmth in his chest.

"Say something."

She was staring up at him, expecting him to tell her that everything was going to work out, but he had to be realistic. He had never been dishonest with her, so what was the point of bullshitting now?

"What's the plan, Tess? Do you want to keep this baby?"

Since that conversation with Luke, the idea of kids put her off, but she wasn't sure if she felt like that because of Luke or because of herself. Finding out that she was pregnant was a shock to her and deep down she was terrified. All she could do was shrug her shoulders.

"You need to give me a bit more than that." He could see by her face that she was scared, and he wasn't going to pressure her. "Listen to me, if you want to keep the baby, I'll be right behind you and if you don't, I'll still be right behind you. You don't need to make a decision right now, Tess." He put his hand under her chin and turned her head towards him, holding her there until she looked him in the eye. "Whatever you want, I'll support you."

"How about we get this night over with and make our decision then? Because it's not just me that has to make this decision."

He nodded and placed his forehead against hers, closing his eyes tightly. "I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

They stepped into the flat, Cook's arm protectively around her as he inspected the faces in the crowd. It was too dark and too busy to make anyone out clearly enough. He turned his back to the party and looked down at Tess as her eyes flickered from person to person in a desperate attempt to find her brother.

"We're going to have to ask around for him."

"I thought that he'd be the life and soul of the party, you know, because it's his party." She folded her arms across her chest and let out a sigh. "Should we split up and ask around?"

"Might make things quicker." He agreed as he placed his hands into his pockets.

"I'll head to the back; you stay at the front." She kissed him on the cheek quickly before pushing her way through the crowd. Everyone was nudging and dancing up against each other that she had visions of her getting crushed.

The sooner they found him, the better.

* * *

Half of the people at the party had never heard of Asher, they just followed people here and the other half weren't going to tell Tess anything. If anyone could get people talking about Asher, it was Cook. He had a way with people, he was more relatable than she was; these Scottish kids heard her posh-ish English accent and got hostile.

All she wanted to do now was find a quiet corner and take a breather. There was a line for the one bathroom and the waited seemed like forever. Tess leaned against the wall, her head rested on the cheap wallpaper as she watched the people in front of her laugh and sing. She was envious, right now she could've done with a stiff drink.

"Girls really like to make assholes out of themselves, don't they?" someone said from behind her as they joined the back of the queue.

"Especially when they're in groups."

There was a moment of silence before he said, "Why don't we just bunk the queue. They're all too drunk to notice."

"I don't really feel like getting beat up."

"No one's going to touch us, this is my flat."

She looked over her shoulder and came face to face with Asher. A wave of relief rushed over her until she noticed that he didn't seem too pleased with her.

"Come on." He gripped her by the wrist and lead her to the front of the line. He opened the door and ordered the guy that was in there to leave. Once she was inside, he closed the door and regarded her suspiciously. "I hear you've been very adamant on finding me." He looked her up and down with a raised brow. "Why?"

"It's not just you that I've been looking for, I've been looking for your mother, Evelyn also." She clasped her hands and played with her fingers nervously. Asher was eyeballing her, and she didn't know how he was going to react to the bomb she was about to drop into his lap.

"What do you want with my mam?"

She wasn't going to sugar coat it; the more she talked, the angrier he seemed to get. "Evelyn is my mother. I'm your half-sister."

"Bullshit, my sister died." He took a step towards her. "Is this some sort of sick joke?"

"No, I'm being serious."

"What's your name then?"

"Tess." When he got out of her personal space, she assumed that their mother had spoken about her. "What was your sister called?"

He nodded and placed his hands on his hips. "Do you have ID?"

"Uh, yeah." She rifled through her bag and took out her provisional driving license. Tess didn't put up a fight when he snatched it from her grasp. "Did Evelyn tell you I was dead?"

He stared down at the ID and simply nodded. "Found a baby picture a few years ago and I knew it wasn't me; I didn't think my mam would put me in a pink frilly dress. Started asking questions and that was the answer I got. She said you died when you were a year old." He handed her license back and dragged his fingers through his messy black hair. "What's the story then?"

"Evelyn and my dad were together while he was in the army and she got pregnant. She had me for a few months, I don't know exactly how long but my dad said she got with some guy who got her hooked-on drugs and she gave me over to my dad. That's all I know."

"I had a feeling that she was lying, didn't want to think that she was but here you are."

"Here I am."

"Meet me here tomorrow afternoon and we'll talk about taking you to her."

"Okay, yeah. I'll be here at four." She scratched at the back of her head awkwardly, she didn't really know what else to say to him. "I'll be bringing my boyfriend with me, is that okay?"

"Is he the one that's downing my booze like there's no tomorrow?"

She sighed and closed her eyes; Tess had a feeling that if he was binge drinking, it would be because of the news she shared with him. "What's he wearing?"

"Camel coloured jacket and chinos."

"Scruffy hair?"

"Yeah."

"That's him then. He won't be drunk tomorrow, I promise."

Asher nodded slowly at her. "Maybe you should take him home. Sober him up."

"I will." She stepped out of the bathroom to a line full of dirty looks and some stares, but she didn't care. "I'll see you tomorrow."

* * *

When she got back to the party, she found Cook in the kitchen with a bottle of whiskey in his hand. He was startled to see her, but he gave her this goofy grin that made her smile.

"There you are, I thought I'd lost you for a second." His voice sounded higher than usual; he couldn't hear himself properly over the blaring music.

"I think it's time to call it a night." She took the bottle of whiskey from his hand and replaced it with her hand.

"But we can't go until we find your brother." He protested.

"I've already found him. Let's go, you need water or you're going to be hanging in the morning."

He followed her out to the street and when the air hit him, he felt like the ground was spinning beneath his feet. "Woah!" he exclaimed as he tried to walk but he almost went down.

Tess turned around and gripped his arm. "Maybe you should take a seat and I'll call us a taxi." She pushed him down onto the kerb gently and kept a close eye on him as she called for a cab.

"You're angry at me, aren't you?" he kept calling her as she spoke on the phone. "Tess?"

"What?" she asked when she hung up the phone. "Taxi's going to be here in ten minutes."

"Are you mad?"

She thought about it for a moment and finally shook her head, taking a seat beside him. "No, I'm not mad. You're allowed to enjoy yourself."

"Did you have fun?"

"It was a bit crazy in there." She replied as she pulled her jacket around herself a little tighter. She kept her eyes down the road, waiting for their car until Cook put his jacket around her shoulders. "Are you not cold?"

He shook his head and put his sleeves over his hands. "I'm alright." He lied.

She moved closer to Cook and placed the jacket around them both. He rested his head against hers and closed his eyes. "Is that better?"

"Yeah, a lot better." He stayed quiet for a while as he tried to collect his thoughts. "I know you said that we didn't have to make a decision right now, but while you were looking for Asher, I was thinking."

She didn't say anything. Tess was feeling torn about the whole situation, but she'd know her true feelings when she heard what Cook had decided.

"I don't think I can get rid of a little us. Like, I love this shit out of you and you and I together is what I've been waiting for, for like over a year. Like yeah, we don't have money or a good place but it's us. We'll work this out."

It wasn't often that he poured his heart out to her, he tried his best to think logically while he was on the run. Cook needed the liquid courage to talk about this. He was scared that he was going to be exactly like his father, but Tess was the love he needed to make him a better person.

"I love the shit out of you too." She kissed the top of his head and put her arm around his shoulders. Tess felt relieved, that feeling was the answer she needed. "So, we're going to do this? We're keeping this baby?"

He looked at her and nodded once. "Yeah, I want to give it a life that's far better than what I had."

"You've never opened up about your childhood." She ran her fingertips across his cheek and watched him relive the memories in his head.

"Maybe some other time. I think our taxi's here, and I really need a piss." He got up unsteadily and moved his jacket back over Tess. "That wait for the toilet in there was crazy."

She rolled her eyes and pulled him onto his feet. "Yeah, you've no idea."


End file.
